Do you love ice cream? Let me ask that again with greater emphasis. Do you really…really…love ice cream?

I certainly do, and I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t — aside from those unfortunates who are lactose intolerant (no judgement here, it’s a genetic condition that has nothing whatsoever to do with ones culinary values).

So, acting on the safe assumption that you really, really love ice cream, I’m going to recommend that you experience a Boehms Bar. To do so, you’ll have so show up for some of the Magic Skagit events where Drifters Desserts can be found, such as the annual Tulip Festival Street Fair in Mount Vernon, which is where I got my last fix. I’m hoping for a repeat at this year’s Anacortes Arts Festival, where I’ll be searching for the Drifters Desserts stand among the many tantalizing food vendors. Or possibly even sooner at the Highland Games in July. Trust me, I’ll be on the lookout. A Boehms Bar is worth waiting for. It is hands down my favorite ice cream dessert.

So what IS a Boehms Bar, you may be asking?

Nearly three-quarters of a century of experience has taught me that many of life’s most profound experiences may seem simple enough on their surface, but that prosaic appearance often belies a deeper complexity.

Such is the case with a Boehms Bar. Yes, deconstructed it comes down to just three components: a generous portion of vanilla ice cream on a wooden stick, covered in dark chocolate and encrusted with a mixture of toffee and nuts. But if you’ve ever experienced one, I don’t need to tell you that the result is ever so much greater than the sum of its parts. You already know what I’m talking about.

So allow me to elaborate for those of you who might be thinking, “What’s so special about an ice cream bar?” With respect to a Boehms Bar, this is a bit like asking, “What’s so beautiful about a double rainbow over the Skagit flats with a view of snow covered Mount Baker in the background?” If your soul is that bereft of the capacity to be moved by sheer transcendence and know the heartfelt joy of it, I probably lack the poetry to otherwise inspire you. But I’ll try.

The glory that is a Boehms Bar begins with its foundational element: vanilla ice cream. In the case of a Boehm’s Bar, we’re talking Häagen-Dazs level stuff here. I’m a Rocky Road guy myself, but when it comes to ice cream pairings with anything from fresh strawberries (preferably on a well made shortcake) to hot fudge, you want a high quality vanilla ice cream as the base. Anything else would be a distraction rather than an enhancement.

I’d probably be quite content if the good folks at the Drifters Desserts stand just handed me their vanilla ice cream on a stick, but that’s not what they do. Oh, no. They take that stick of tasty frozen confection and, right before your reverent gaze, dip it into a vat of next level melted dark chocolate straight out of a Dove bar fever dream.

Which makes for the perfect segue to the story of Boehm’s Candies & Chocolates. I’ll let the company’s website (boehmscandies.com) take it from here.

Our founder, Julius Boehm (1897-1981), was born in Vienna, Austria. His father was Austrian and his mother Swiss.

In 1924, Julius ran with his Austrian team in the 400-meter relay in the Paris Olympic Games, and in 1936, he was honored by being selected to carry the Olympic torch en route to Berlin for one kilometer over Austrian terrain.

As Julius had become a child of the mountains, he utilized his mountaineering skills to escape Hitler’s tyranny in 1940 and fled to Switzerland. From there he came to the Pacific Northwest in 1941.

In 1942, Julius and friend George Tedlock opened their first Candy Kitchen in the Ravenna area of Seattle. Julius drew upon the wisdom of his grandfather, a pastry chef to perfect the European line of confections while a mutual friend, candy maker Cecil Hall, helped refine the American line of chocolates.

In 1956, Julius moved Boehm’s Candies to the Issaquah foothills. The natural beauty of the green landscape and mountains reminded Julius of his homeland. The “Edelweiss Chalet” as it was named (symbolizing the beautiful flower of Switzerland) was the first Alpine chalet in the Northwest.  A great craftsman, Walter Schefer, from Appenzell, Switzerland, gave the chalet its distinctive look. The chalet was adopted by the School of Architecture at the University of Washington as an authentic Alpine chalet.

In recognition of Julius’ public service and donations, the City of Issaquah proclaimed September 30, 1978 as Julius Boehm day.  Shortly after in 1981, the King County parks system renamed the Issaquah District swimming pool the Julius Boehm Pool.

Throughout the years, Julius was very active in many sports including water polo, skiing, swimming, and hiking. He spent many years teaching local youth how to ski and swim. He also established his own ski school. Conquering Mt. Rainier was something Julius did three times during his life. At the youthful age of 80, Julius embarked on his last summit and amazingly climbed the 14,410 feet to the peak of Mt. Rainier.

Shortly before his death at age 83, Julius’ vision of a shrine to mountain climbers was completed. Next to the Boehm’s retail store and manufacturing plant, a replica of a 12th century chapel in Switzerland was built. The interior of the chapel features a recreation of Michelangelo’s Creation of Man suspended from the ceiling. Behind it, a mural portraying a fallen mountaineer being raised into the mists by a Christ figure merges with an altar of stone.

The 40-seat chapel is frequently reserved for weddings. (www.highalpinechapel.com) The chapel can be seen today during guided tours (reservations required).

Today, we offer over 100 confections, produced by master candy makers. Everything from American favorites such as caramels, English toffee and peanut brittle, to European specialties like Mozart Kugeln, marzipan, and Cordial Cherries are made to the highest standards.

Our history and heritage set forth by Julius Boehm run true to this day. We invite you to stop by the Edelweiss Chalet in the foothills of Issaquah, take in the old world charm, and taste some of the finest chocolate confections ever crafted.

As Julius proclaimed about his candies –  “As High As the Alps in Quality”.

So there you have the provenance behind the ice cream bar. But believe me, you won’t want a Boehms Bar simply for its origin story. That’s just the cherry on top, so to speak.

When rich vanilla ice cream on a simple wooden stick is dipped into a vat of Boehm’s dark melted chocolate, it doesn’t just coat the ice cream, it tenderly, lovingly enrobes it. But wait…we’re not done. That freshly enrobed ice cream bar is then dipped into a mixture of the aforementioned English toffee along with chopped almonds. The resulting crunchy almond toffee on a thick but gently yielding shell of dark chocolate means that you have to munch your way through your Boehms Bar to get to the vanilla ice cream reward at its center. It’s truly a meal on a stick for those who believe that since life is short we should eat dessert first.

So now you know what it is that I love about a Boehm’s Bar. And while it may seem a bit transient as the subject of “A Bite of Skagit” episode — it’s not as though you can order one at a local restaurant or pick up a pack of 12 at Costco — it’s a ubiquitous icon of our regional “fair food” culture that richly deserves to be recognized.

I’m hardly alone in this sentiment. Here is a bit of testimony from a visitor to Boehm’s Edelweiss Chalet:

“This is the thing dreams are made of. We visited in 2022 (from NC) and I still salivate at the thought of one of these decadent bars with just the right ratio of chocolate to ice cream. Good plain, but the toffee takes it over the top. Here I am in 2024 just staring at the website dreaming of enjoying another of these creamy, chocolaty, toffee laced bits of heaven. If you find yourself in Issaquah, get to Boehm’s and get yourself one of these delicious ice cream treats. Then, plan a return trip because you won’t be able to stop thinking about how incredibly delicious these ice cream bars are!” (Carla, 2022)

As much as I love ice cream, as a part of Meyer Sign I also love a good immigrant story. And much like the story of John Meyer coming to America from Holland in the wake of WWII to ultimately start up a sign company now more than six decades in existence, the story of Julius Boehm’s journey to Issaquah to create a much loved candy making company that pays homage to his birthplace is the stuff of inspiration. As origin stories go, the history of the Boehms Bar, like the dessert itself, is, in the words of Julius Boehm, “as high as the Alps in quality.” Sweet dreams are made of this.