Annie Young practices scooping gelato with help from Gelato Fiasco employee-owner Mitch Newlin.
The Brunswick School Department announced in 2018 it would celebrate 19th century botanist Kate Furbish by naming its new $20 million elementary school after her. This September, the famous Brunswick figure has earned an even sweeter honor: a signature flavor from Gelato Fiasco.
Kate Furbish School Chickadee Chocolate Chip, available this month only in the dessert-maker’s Brunswick location, celebrates both the school and its namesake, according to Interim Principal Annie Young. Young, who spent Monday night dishing out treats as Gelato Fiasco’s “celebrity scooper,” said the partnership provided an opportunity to strengthen bonds between Brunswick and Kate Furbish Elementary, which opened in 2020.
“When you walk into Gelato Fiasco, you feel that sense of community,” Young said. “It just seemed like a really good partnership. Plus, everyone likes gelato.”
Annie Young poses with a cutout of Kate Furbish before her “celebrity scooper” shift at Gelato Fiasco on Monday evening. John Terhune / The Times Record
Young reached out to the business with the idea for a signature Kate Furbish flavor in April, according to Bobby Guerette, Gelato Fiasco’s marketing director.
“We often pause when we receive these kinds of requests and want to make sure that there’s a genuine core connection between the potential name or theme of the flavor and the actual ingredients,” he said. “In this case, the floral heritage was perfect.”
School staff worked with Guerette to perfect Chickadee Chocolate Chip, which combines Stracciatella-style chocolate chips with lavender and honey to celebrate Furbish’s decades of collecting and painting plant life during an era when men dominated the field of botany.
Annie Young poses with a dish of Kate Furbish School Chickadee Chocolate Chip. John Terhune / The Times Record
“She was such a pioneer in her field,” Young said. “She’s a role model to our students, which is exciting.”
So far, Kate Furbish students have been excited to celebrate their return to school with their own gelato flavor, she said.
But they’re not the only ones lining up for the treat.
“It’s quite delicious,” Young said. “Get it before it runs out.”
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