Farmington Hills Resident Launches Ice Cream Sandwich

Farmington Hills resident Josh Charlip has been making bagels since he first started working for a living.

For the past 18 years, he has owned The Bagel Factory, a small shop in a strip mall at 12 Mile and Telegraph in Southfield. In addition to retail, the shop sells bagels wholesale to clients including .

The Bagel Factory offers the "fragel," a deep-fried bagel coated in cinnamon sugar, and the continuing search for new product lines put Charlip in the cookie-baking business three years ago. Now he's turned that into another spinoff: Eskimo Jack's ice cream sandwiches.

"I heard of a very successful ice cream sandwich shop in California," he said, "and that's where I got the idea."

The search began for the best ice cream to scoop between two of his fresh-from-scratch cookies, a task Charlip said was "a lot of fun. We settled on Ashby's Sterling brand. They have a tremendously large selection of flavors ... and it's a real premium, wholesome ice cream." He also likes that the company is Michigan-based.

It wasn't easy, but Charlip found room for a small ice cream counter in The Bagel Factory, and Eskimo Jack's was born. The company is named after the Charlips' 3-year-old Labradoodle, Jackson, and it took about six months to create a logo and a suitable legend (which you can read on the company's website).

Charlip also decided to take the sandwiches on the road.

"In February, I purchased my first party cart," hep said. "I take it to parties, events, weddings ... guests get to choose what kind of sandwich they want."

He adds that the custom sandwiches are very affordable; his crew has served parties of up to 300 people.

Even when lines get long, he added, they don't last. "We make (the sandwiches) pretty quickly," Charlip said.

Business has picked up to the point where Charlip now has a second cart. In October, Eskimo Jack's handled more than 15 events. His wife, Jill, and children Jade, Chase and Landon help out. Seven-month-old Emeri is still a little too young to work.

The only downside, Charlip said, is that the carts have to be hauled in a big trailer, and he's the only who knows how to handle it. "I'm not complaining," he added.

So far, the most popular Eskimo Jack's ice cream sandwich cookie is chocolate chip; mint chip and Mackinac Island fudge ice cream get the most attention. Charlip is now on the hunt for toppings in which to roll the sandwiches — something sure to make them even more popular with children of all ages. 

Charlip has no plans to slow down. His next project: finding a good location to open up another shop.

"It is a very fun job," he said.

To learn more about Eskimo Jack's, visit eskimojacks.com. You may also visit its booth from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday at the at in Farmington Hills.