A legendary Wazzu institution for 75 years
Along the rolling hills of the Palouse, a unique topographic region in eastern Washington, sits Washington State University. Unlike its rival across the state in Seattle, Wazzu is located in a sleepy college town, surrounded by wide open spaces and offering a rural yin to the University of Washington’s bustling city yang.
Founded as a land-grant college to provide higher education for agriculture, engineering, and veterinary sciences, Washington State has played an important role in expanding the state’s undervalued reputation as an agricultural hub. Counted among its accomplishments are the university’s contribution to the Washington apple trade, thanks to its development of new varieties such as the much-lauded Cosmic Crisp, as well as the popularity of products generated by its dairy research, including the school’s award-winning line of Cougar Gold cheeses.
That reputation for dairy excellence is what took me to Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe on a Thursday afternoon prior to the Cougs’ Friday showdown with the Colorado Buffaloes.
Ferdinand’s is located on the eastern side of campus, almost equidistant from Wazzu’s football stadium and basketball arena. There is metered parking available nearby, but it’s fairly limited, perhaps owing to the shop’s walkability from other campus landmarks. The hours are also fairly limited, operating only on weekdays from 9:30am-4:30pm, although Ferdinand’s does open on Saturdays for spring commencement and home football games.
Ferdinand’s first opened in 1948 in Troy Hall, later moving to its current location within the Food Quality Building in 1992. Its name goes back even further, to 1938, when the Washington State College Dairy Products Judging Team sold ice cream as a fundraiser to send themselves to competitions and selected the name “Ferdinand’s” after the recently released Disney movie Ferdinand the Bull.
Remember how I said the current location opened in 1992? Well, it sorta looks like it.
The neon sign hanging outside of blue-framed windows provides a brief hint, but upon stepping inside, the checkerboard flooring and pops of Cougar Crimson throughout the space give it a distinct early-90s vibe. It’s almost as if Cafe 80s from Back to the Future II and The Max from Saved By The Bell had a baby.
None of this is meant to be a put-down. As a child of the 90s, I kinda loved it.
As you walk in, the seating area is directly ahead, with the ice cream counter situated to the left. Along the same wall as the entry door, you’ll see another door leading to a set of stairs. Those stairs take you up to the viewing platform for the production facility, where you can see students actively working to prepare ice cream, cheeses, and other dairy products.
The observation room has self-guided videos available that explain both the cheese- and ice cream-making processes. If you have a group of 12 or more, you can also reserve the observation room for a hosted visit.
While the facility wasn’t actively operating during my visit, there were still students tidying up as the facility neared closing for the weekend. Seeing their thoroughness in cleaning the production area made me even more convinced of the creamery’s quality and attention to detail.
Back down on the main level, display cases house all varieties of Cougar Cheeses in their trademark tin cans. The most well-known flavor, Cougar Gold white cheddar, was developed in the early 1940s as part of research into how to preserve cheese within tin cans in order to enable dairy products to be more easily shipped to American soldiers fighting in World War II. The research was a success, with the cheese not only avoiding spoilage but being one of the most complex sharp white cheddar cheeses in the country, leading to widespread popularity in the Pacific Northwest and numerous awards. The line of cheeses is so popular that the WSU Creamery has made online ordering and long-distance shipping available, sending Cougar Gold all across the country.
Next to the cheese display cases are the ice cream chillers, with signature flavors including Cougar Tracks and Apple Cup Crisp. Ferdinand’s offers its ice cream in a number of forms, including milkshakes, sundaes, floats, and even sandwiched between two cookies. The shop also offers a variety of beverages, including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
I opted for two scoops — one scoop of the highly recommended Cougar Tracks and one scoop of Chocolate Cookie Dough. The Cougar Tracks had large chunks of peanut butter cups and tasty swirls of fudge, while the Chocolate Cookie Dough wasn’t quite as chunky, but had the buttery and slightly chewy texture you’d expect from a cookie dough ice cream. Both were delicious.
Having heard such rave reviews about Cougar Gold, I also took home a wedge to sample. By the time I actually tasted the cheese at a tailgate the following day, I regretted not buying a few whole tins. The cheese is exquisite, with a sharpness and nutty complexity that seemed to have elements of high-end gouda while still maintaining the traditional base flavor of American white cheddar. Upon returning home, every time I glanced at my wedge of Cougar Gold in the fridge, I thought of more ways I could use it and continued to regret not buying more. It’s a mistake I won’t make the next time I visit.
To put it simply, Ferdinand’s lived up to the hype. As someone who has made a habit of frequenting college dairy stores, the WSU Creamery was a standout, offering a multitude of delicious ice cream flavors, as well as the best cheese I’ve tasted from a collegiate creamery. Combined with the comfortable setting and an observation room that allows guests to learn more about the production process while students hone their craft, this is one of the top dairy stores I’ve visited.
If you’re ever in Pullman, you’ve gotta stop by this pride of the Palouse.
CFB Travel Guy 