Photo by Holly Parsons
Summer is ice cream season; some say it’s the perfect buffer for heat and stress. On July 23, Lana and Terry Pepin took over ownership of the Idyllwild Ice Cream and Jerky Shop, and were evacuated 48 hours later. Not much time to get scooping, but regardless of any initial shock, the Pepin’s expressed an abundance of gratitude to firefighters for their courage and are welcoming them into their store for a free scoop as a token of thanks.
“Looking on the bright side, the unexpected closure provided us time to freshen and organize the shop after losing all our ice cream and refrigerated inventory to a giant mushy meltdown,” said Terry.
When Terry retired from ownership of a machine shop in Wisconsin, the Pepin’s moved to Temecula. Lana was controller at Fazeli Cellars Winery in Temecula in recent years, yet they’d been considering finding a way to live in Idyllwild due to their love of the area. “We’d considered the purchase of various ice-cream shops in Southern California, but when we learned Idyllwild Ice Cream and Jerky was for sale, we decided to look into it, and the rest is history,” said Terry.
“Our vision is to continue to offer the same yummy ice-cream selections and wild jerky while promoting gourmet jumbo and kosher hot dogs. We’re working on some remodeling, too, so stop by, introduce yourselves and check out our changes,” said Terry. Locals should know, the local discount will still apply, including the honoring of punch cards.
