An ice cream adventure for the hot days of summer

I have a soft spot in my heart for ice cream shops.

I may have shared this before, but one of my first jobs was scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins in the Ocean County Mall. Then came a summer of scooping on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk.

Besides learning how to build a perfect banana split, spin a great milkshake and decorate ice cream cakes (all skills that have served me well as a mom!) working a job like that gives you an appreciation of how difficult it can be to work in food. From hauling heavy tubs of ice cream to deep-cleaning soft-serve machines to learning how not to lose a cone in cherry dip, it's hard work — and we weren't even cooking!

So imagine my surprise when I learned that Kohr Soft Ice Cream, a hometown ice cream shop in Tuckerton, is run by a petite woman in her 70s. Eva Kohr, who married into the Kohr's ice cream legacy but runs an ice cream shop that's separate from the company, makes gallons of ice cream every day. She makes the classic flavors but also pushes the envelope with bright purple ube ice cream, ice cream made with cherries soaked in bourbon cream, and a flavor called pear lime velvet that's based on a dessert her mother-in-law used to make.

"It has pears, lime, lime Jell-O and whipped cream," said Kohr, who with her son, Patrick, comes up with flavors that ice cream fans in southern Ocean County probably haven't tried before. "It's very refreshing, very light."

From one foodie to another, do yourself a favor and pay Kohr a visit. Pair your stop with a trip to Long Beach Island for a perfect summer day.

Hot dog!

I know that food holidays are made up. If they weren't, we'd all have many more days off during the year.

But they are fun to celebrate, and I had a lot of fun researching hot dogs for National Hot Dog Day this week.

Everyone knows the big names at the Shore, like The WindMill, Max's, Stewart's and Der Wunder Wiener, so I went searching for spots you might not know of. My travels took me to Oakwood's Point Pizza in Point Pleasant Borough, which makes a monster of an Italian hot dog, and Dicky's Dogs in South Toms River, which looks like a '50s-style diner but serves over-the-top hot dogs and Colombian food.

Both spots made me thankful, as I often am, to have the opportunity to share my finds with you!

Quick bites

Taliercio's in Middletown is known for known for its over-the-top sandwiches, and a new one has hit the menu for a good cause. "The LeGrand" is a collaboration with Eric LeGrand, a former Rutgers University football player who was paralyzed after a spinal cord injury on the field in 2010. The sandwich, which costs $18.95, is made with roasted chicken marinated in Eric LeGrand Bourbon and rubbed with LeGrand Coffee House Colombia roast, bourbon peach barbecue sauce, white cheddar cheese and smoked bacon. Proceeds from all LeGrand sandwiches sold in July will be donated to The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

JBJ Soul Kitchen in Toms River and Red Bank is hosting an all-you-can-eat barbecue from 5 to 7 pm. Saturdays, July 27, Aug. 17 and Sept. 21. Both restaurants invite customers who are unable to pay to volunteer, and customers who are able to pay for their meal do so as a donation. Learn more at jbjsoulkitchen.org.

That is all for this week! For more food content, visit app.com and follow Jersey Shore Eats on Instagram and Facebook.

Sarah Griesemer is a food writer for The Asbury Park Press and app.com. For more on where to eat and drink, please consider a subscription.