Luscious and Innovative, All Four Craft Flavors in UMass Amherst’s 10th Annual Ice Cream Competition Will Be Produced by Herrell’s

The audience members also had a chance to vote for their favorite, and the People's Choice Award went to Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake, which interestingly came in fourth in the expert judges' tally. ("That always happens," Herrell noted.) The crowd favorite flavor was dreamed up by Ezra Leite, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey; Sophie MacRae, of Columbia, South Carolina; and Emily Zhang, of Seattle,Washington.

The flavor's dark cherry swirl was a big hit, and the cream cheese - a challenge to incorporate into the ice cream base due to its thickness - helped create a sensation reminiscent of the "warm and comforting and nostalgic dessert that originated in the 1920s," the group said.

The annual competition allows seniors preparing to enter the field to apply food science principles - from food processing, chemistry and microbiology to marketing analysis, shelf stability, food safety and nutrition - and learn how to scale up a product in the industry.

Coming in second place in the judges tally was Tea Time, a chai tea ice cream with a hint of rose water, salt and the inclusion of a mix of Biscoff cookie butter and Biscoff Lotus cookie crumble. The group - consisting of Mia Gozgit, of Russell, Massachusetts; Amrit Singh, of Somerville, Massachusetts; and Cristina Hernandez Vence, of Bogotá, Colombia - sought to capitalize on the flavor trends of edible flowers and cross-cultural flavors. They were looking to create "a warm and cozy feeling, like drinking tea. A tingly feeling," Gozgit said.

Third place went to Appel Kruimel Ijsje (apple crumble ice cream), inspired by the Dutch treat Stroopwafels. A deep apple and cinnamon flavor was added to the mix by group members Yunseong Choi of Seoul, South Korea; Henry Kaplan, of Concord, New Hampshire; and Kentaro Kawata, of Union, Kentucky.

The judges' fourth place - the audience favorite - was Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake, which also will be made by Herrell's on a rotating basis with the other flavors throughout the year.

"I liked the students' concepts," Koo said, "and the way they told their stories."