Carrie Zovluck has one of the best summer jobs in Colorado. For the past 10 years, she’s been an ice cream vendor in the Eagle Valley, a far less stressful job than her winter work as a restaurant manager. Most of her treats sell for around $2 apiece, a real bargain in an area renowned for steep prices. Claire Martin, The Denver Post
Q: How did you find an ice cream truck?
A: I found someone who was selling one. It was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I looked at the truck and jumped up and down. He was taken aback (by) my enthusiasm and joy, and sold it to me for $3,000.
Q: What was the original price?
A: $7,000.
Q: It’s unusual-looking.
A: The body of the truck is an obsolete make by a company that used to make postal trucks. The rest — the chassis, the brakes and mechanical bits — was originally a Denver Post delivery truck. I’m not sure how it would be possible to verify that, but that’s what I was told by the person who sold it to me.
Q: What kind of mileage does it get?
A: My odometer’s been broken since I bought the truck, but a tank of gas lasts two weeks. But I don’t go very fast.
Q: Where do you fill it up?
A: At a regular gas station.
Q: I bet that turns some heads. Are most of your customers under 18?
A: Most of them, yes.
Q: What’s the most popular seller?
A: As far as a clear favorite for the kids, it’s a tie between the strawberry shortcake and the bomb pops with layers of color. They like anything that makes their tongues turn blue.
Q: So it’s all novelty items, not hand- scooped ice cream?
A: It’s easier to sell prepackaged food. I have things like ice cream Drumsticks, Eskimo Pies, Creamsicles, chocolate eclairs, ice cream sandwiches and any kind of novelty. When I had SpongeBob SquarePants push-ups and Dora the Explorer — anything with a face, really — I can’t keep them in stock.
Q: What’s your typical workday like?
A: In the morning, I’m at Freedom Park from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Then I go back out again from 3 to 8 p.m. Freedom Park is run by an agency that schedules national sports tournaments — soccer, lacrosse. Teams come from New York to California. I learned that I can’t just trawl the neighborhoods. I need to find the big groups of people.
Q: How long is the ice cream season?
A: It starts around the end of April and goes through November or until the snow flies. Last month, I visited eight different schools for Field Day. They love me; I’m totally the highlight of their day.
