By Savor a sugar cone filled with a large scoop of Blue Marble Ice Cream. You may not be aware that you’re enjoying a very blue, peanut butter, and marshmallow crème-streaked edible abstraction of the view of the earth from outer space. Not only that, it’s worth contemplating that along with producing yummy ice cream, the business owner Jennie Dundas and partners who carry the brand, like Whole Foods, care about the business interest in humanitarian ideals. And, more generally explaining her willingness to take chances, Dundas points to her grandmother Barbara Washburn, the person who, more than anyone, instilled in her the confidence to achieve whatever goal she set her mind to accomplish.
Jennie describes her granny as a tiny person whose interest in mountaineering was encouraged by her husband Bradford Washburn, a famous mountaineer, museum director, and photographer – His photographs of glaciers that have melted due to conditions of climate change are now valuable historical documents.
Jennie saw her grandparents often between their many expeditions marveling at their wonderful travel and mountain climbing stories. Her grandmother was the first woman to climb to the summit of Denali in Alaska, at 20,320 feet, the highest peak in North America. When back in their Boston hometown, ice cream played an important part of the enjoyment of getting together with family. “We were always going to Brigham’s.”
Years passed, and Jennie came to New York to be an actor. She’s played many roles on the stage, in films, and on TV. Among the most familiar, “I’ve been most recognized for the role of Chris Paradis, Annie Paradis (Diane Keaton)’s lesbian daughter, in The First Wives Club, and beyond that, I suppose I’d be better known amongst the New York theatre crowd for my work there.” Then, in 2008 and living in Brooklyn, a friend suggested they open an ice cream shop. Jennie said they had no experience in the business and learned the skills they needed as Blue Marble grew. “We just put one foot in front of the other and made it happen,” she says. The shop in Brooklyn opened in 2007. The one at 2578 Broadway and 97th Street opened in 2021, and the one on West 71st Street opened its doors in 2022 (but since has recently closed).
Organic and social responsibility matter to Jennie. Sugar, an essential, is imported from a Brazilian fair trade supplier. Cocoa is purchased from a fair trade supplier in the Dominican Republic. Over 100 ice cream flavors, including vegan options with a coconut cream base, have been served over the years since the shop opened. But, Jennie says the most popular are exceptional versions of long-time favorites chocolate, strawberry (“the best anywhere,” Jennie says), and vanilla.
About a dozen years ago, Jennie was approached by a group of women drummers from Rwanda in Central Africa. The musicians had joined their fearless leader in presenting drumming events, something that had been an all-male tradition. They also asked Jennie to help them open an ice cream shop. The ice cream shop was launched in Butare, Rwanda, and survived until Covid. Soon the drummers will be performing at a number of NYC venues. When she opened the Manhattan locations, Jennie sought a non-profit partner closer to home, and connected with the Brotherhood Sister Sol, a pioneering community development group in Central Harlem. Today, one percent of every Blue Marble Ice Cream shop purchase is donated to BroSis, where programming supports the group’s goals, described on its website, “The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) is where Black and Latinx youth claim the power of their history, identity and community to build the future they want to see.” Jennie can be seen on Blue Marble’s Instagram page, where she has recently begun sharing tidbits from her small business experience in the big city. The handle is @bluemarblebk.