Crooked D Creamery may be the newest sweet spot in downtown Eatonton, but co-owner David Hodge said the journey to opening the handcrafted ice cream shop began years before the first scoop was served.
“I just love ice cream — with a passion,” Hodge declared May 28, shortly after an official ribbon cutting hosted by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce.
He explained that passion eventually led him and his wife, Jesse, on a long, wide-ranging quest across the U.S.A. and beyond in search of the perfect ice cream. Over the course of about a year and a half, the couple sampled frozen treats from Scotland to Puerto Rico to Bassett’s in Pennsylvania, one of the oldest ice cream companies in America.
Despite the extensive search, Hodge never found exactly what he was looking for.
“I just didn’t find anything to what I would say, ‘Hey, this is really, really awesome ice cream,’” he said.
So, instead of continuing or abandoning the search, the Hodges decided to make their own. On May 31 last year, they crafted their first batches of ice cream and invited about 30 friends to their home near Greensboro for a tasting party. The response was immediate and encouraging.
“Everyone started placing orders,” Hodge recalled. “They said, ‘This is so good. We want it right now!’”
The couple soon began selling their ice cream at farmers' markets and community events while building a following on social media. Their path to Eatonton, however, came about through a mystery neither can explain.
According to Hodge, someone signed Crooked D Creamery up for the Eatonton Farmers Market without his knowledge.
“It was not me, and it was not my wife,” he said. “But they had my name, my phone number, and my email address.”
Market organizers called later, wondering why the Hodges had failed to show up. At the time, Hodge admits he barely knew Eatonton existed. However, after meeting with market organizers, he signed up for a later event and quickly found a warm reception from the community.
“The very night that we were here, people came around and said, ‘We really need an ice cream shop here, and your ice cream is great,’” Hodge recalled. “The community just kind of surrounds us. It was like, ‘We really want you here.’”
With flavor names like Pecan Prairie, Cow Poke Crunch, Pony Express, and Buckaroo Brownie, Hodge said the creamery’s cowboy-inspired identity reflects his agricultural background. The former ranch manager, who moved to Georgia from Florida in 2019, said he hopes the business can help educate people about where their food comes from.
“Without agriculture, we can’t get ice cream,” Hodge pointed out.
He envisions eventually offering classes and camps that teach children both the science and art of making ice cream. Hodge said he considers community involvement as central to the business model. He added that Crooked D Creamery is also intended to be more than just a place to buy dessert.
“Our goal is to create a place where there could be a light in the community, a difference,” he said. “Sometimes people need ice cream; sometimes people just need to talk. So that’s what we’re here for.”
What sets Crooked D’s ice cream apart, according to Hodge, is a commitment to making nearly everything from scratch. Jesse Hodge handles the baked goods and mix-ins, while David crafts the ice cream itself.
“If there’s a cookie in the ice cream, Jesse’s making it homemade,” he said. “Everything is made from scratch.”
The creamery also avoids preservatives, artificial additives, or dyes.
“We keep it clean, fresh, with a local source,” Hodge said. While the ice cream is a premium product, Hodge said affordability also remains a priority. One example is the shop’s “Little Buckaroo” junior scoop, designed specifically for younger customers. The smaller serving helps families avoid waste while keeping costs manageable, he added.
“Every other ice cream shop is taking it away,” he said. “I think it’s important for kids.”
For Hodge, the enthusiastic turnout at the creamery’s ribbon cutting and the steady stream of customers since opening have reinforced that Eatonton was the right choice.
And if local residents continue embracing Crooked D Creamery the way they have so far, the mysterious person who signed the business up for that first farmer’s market may have helped create one of downtown Eatonton’s coolest (coldest?) new destinations.