Leopold's Ice Cream Centennial Coffee Table Book

Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019, released on Feb. 15, 2020, chronicles the lives and history of the Leopold brothers and their family in Savannah, Georgia, between 1901 and 2019, including the incredible life of renowned ice cream maker and Hollywood film producer Stratton Leopold. 

The book is richly illustrated with historic photographs and includes a foreword by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, vintage recipes, celebrity quotes, and customer memories.

Proceeds from the book will benefit local education initiatives in Savannah. Written by Melanie Bowden Simón, A Century of Tasty Memories provides a detailed, intimate look at the history of a growing Southern city through two World Wars and in modern times through the lens of a family and their local business. The book also explores Georgia’s early film history that was a catalyst for today’s multibillion-dollar industry. 

“Today, Stratton and Mary are stewards of much more than a business, which they have expanded in many ways,” former President Jimmy Carter writes. “They are conservationists of the Leopold brothers’ precious legacy, bound by philotimo, the Greek word for a set of principles that places honor, duty, family and service to community above all else.”

Stratton Leopold, born in Savannah, proudly grew up in the ice cream business. His father, Peter, and uncles, George and Basil, immigrated from Greece and opened the original Leopold’s Ice Cream at the corner of Gwinnett and Habersham Streets in 1919. The humble fruit and ice cream stand became a cornerstone of the community. 

Though Stratton left Savannah to pursue his Hollywood dream, Leopold’s Ice Cream continued to be a Savannah tradition carried on by other members of the Leopold family. Stratton served as an executive vice president for Paramount Pictures and the producer of films such as The General’s Daughter, The Sum of All Fears, Paycheck and Mission Impossible III, among many others, yet, he considers the continuation of his family’s business as one of his greatest accomplishments.

With the help of Oscar-nominated set designer Dan Lomino, Stratton and Mary opened a flagship location on Broughton Street in 2004, creating an iconic space that honors the family’s commitment to quality and service in the heart of what is now a top international destination. 

Leopold’s Ice Cream has been featured on CNN, The Food Network and The Travel Channel and in Food and Wine, Travel + Leisure, Garden and Gun, Southern Living and USA TODAY. Hosts of the daytime talk show, “The View” chose Leopold’s as one their favorite ice cream venues in the country and the Toronto Sun ranked it as one of the top five ice cream shops in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author and editor Melanie Bowden Simón is a publicist, journalist and best-selling author of La Americana: A Memoir. She lives in Savannah, Georgia, with her husband and children.

ISBN: 978-0-578-62019-0