Some people seek out their destiny, while others have destiny thrust upon them. It was a case of the latter when Jock Main had a motorcycle accident 10 years ago that landed the chef on his back for months. To pass the time, Jock’s parents bought him an ice cream maker, and the rest is dessert history. “I had heaps of fun making ice cream and thought, ‘Stuff this, I don’t want to go back to working in the kitchen.’ So I opened Jock’s instead.”
Over the past decade Jock’s Ice Cream and Sorbets store in Albert Park has consistently won gongs for some of the most adventurous iced treats in town. He’ currently whipping up a sweetcorn concoction for Mamasita, and is always looking for new flavours to add to his lip-smacking library. “At the moment I’m thinking about chocolate and beetroot, which is based on a birthday cake my mum used to bake,” he tells us.
Jocks sees the appeal of his store to younger customers as being about more than just ice cream. “Everyone’s equal in here. Kids are empowered – they can try whatever they want – and the parents get to try stuff without feeling guilty.”
So with hundreds of tantalising options including tamarind and hibiscus sorbet on offer, what’s Melbourne’s favourite flavour? “There’s pretty much a riot here if I run out of chocolate or hokey pokey,” he laughs. “Some things never go out of fashion.”
And finally, is Jock a cone or a cup kinda guy? “Waffle cone all the way, baby.”