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EAST LAKE - Wherever they go, the Jordans of East Lake try the local ice cream.
"We've had ice cream in Paris, gellato in Venice," said Eric Jordan, 46, who trains pilots for U.S. Airways.
"It was snowing in Germany, and we had ice cream," said Lori Jordan, 48.
But no matter where the Jordans went, nothing compared to the frozen custard they loved back in Indianapolis, before they moved to East Lake eight years ago.
"We missed Ritter's," Lori Jordan said.
Now the Jordans will have all the Ritter's they want.
If all goes well, they expect to open the doors to their own Ritter's Frozen Custard on Saturday in the Shoppes at East Lake, just north of Tarpon Woods Boulevard on East Lake Road.
Last week, Rick Baker Construction was finishing the shop. Eric, Lori and their daughter, Hadley Jordan, 11, a student at Skycrest Christian School, were trying on Ritter's uniforms and taking care of details. The Jordans also have a son, Scott Jordan, 17, a student at Calvary Christian School.
So just what is frozen custard?
"It's like velvet ice cream," Hadley said. "I can't have any other vanillas any more."
"We are very passionate about this," Eric Jordan said. "Wait until you taste it."
Eric Jordan said the company was founded by John Ritter - not the actor - who opened the first Ritter's in 1989 just outside Indianapolis.
Ritter traveled, looking for the best ice cream recipe, and finally decided on one developed in France. Once called "French Vanilla," the traditional recipe had a little egg added to it, resulting in a creamier product with somewhat less butterfat. Pasteurized egg is used in Ritter's, and it's made in fresh batches every few hours, chilled to a little higher temperature than many other ice creams to facilitate tasting.
It's not diet food, unless maybe you pick one of two low-carb, no-sugar flavors available daily. Nutrition sheets will be on hand.
"They won't care about the nutrition once they taste this," Hadley said.