Dairy Godmother makes ice cream dreams come true

The Dairy Godmother ice cream cart, posted up on the corner of North Hamilton and East Pinkney streets, offers a respite to Dane County Farmers’ Market shoppers on summer Saturday mornings. There, Stella Buckley sells 6-ounce ice cream containers, each flavor $5. 

Kids love these ice creams, of course. But Buckley also has an “extensive girlhood” among fellow 20-something women, saying “keep going. I’m so proud of you.” 

“It’s so nice to hear,” she said. 

At Dairy Godmother, which Buckley intends to rename “Dairy Godmom” so as not to be confused with another store by the same name in Virginia, Buckley sells six flavors. She began with the three Neapolitan pillars of ice cream: dark chocolate sea salt (chocolate), honey vanilla bean (vanilla) and strawberry (strawberry). 

For the chocolate, Buckley’s recipe hits a velvety, sugary-sweet note accented by slightly bitter dark chocolate. As for the vanilla bean, a farmers market meanderer can almost hear a hive of bees slamming against their temporary prison at a stand a half a block away to get at the honey in it. 

Buckley keeps strawberry simple. A small child nearby, asked for her expert opinion, called it “creamy.” 

“There aren’t any big chunks,” she added. This child was right — Buckley whips and mixes the strawberries into a vanilla buttercream mixture, resulting in a smooth texture. 

Lavender blackberry swirl tastes like late summer, and the almond brittle with cherry brings nuttiness. White mocha espresso takes on another classic, as Buckley compliments the high viscosity of the ice cream itself with little chunks of white chocolate throughout. For the ice cream nerds out there, Buckley includes a lot of cream to keep air content low, giving her ice creams a “super premium” designation.

“I really strive to use the most fresh ingredients I can, and I’m lucky that I’m in Wisconsin,” Buckley said. “All the dairy here is so fresh.”

Rising to the top

A year and a half ago, Buckley was working full time in the biotechnology industry when her boyfriend bought her a small tabletop ice cream maker. She started making ice cream for dinner parties, and by summer, friends had begun to ask if Buckley could prep a batch for their kids’ birthdays. Soon it was friends of friends and people she didn’t even know asking for a tub.

“I had to start turning down jobs because I didn’t have the time or the bandwidth, because I was still working full time,” she said. Her hobby was becoming a lot of work.

By the week of July 4, 2023, Buckley took a break from her day job and had booked a full slate of events to serve her ice cream, still made with a small Cuisinart tucked into a corner of her kitchen. By then, she had begun charging a minimal fee – enough to cover costs – but hadn’t yet considered making ice cream her job.

“I was able to test run for a week what my life would look like if I did this full time,” Buckley said. 

Last September, Buckley entered Madison’s annual food cart review, which determines which vendors receive the choicest spots on the Library Mall, Capitol Square and elsewhere. Buckley finished first among new vendors and 14th overall (seniority wins applicants an extra point per year), giving her a decent choice of locations around the Capitol/State Street area. 

“I made a little bit of money – about $200 – but I was so proud of myself,” Buckley said. “I had so many people who I didn’t even know telling me to quit my job, to take this seriously, to get a bigger ice cream machine and get into FEED Kitchens,” a food business incubator on Madison’s north side. 

“For the first time, it was someone who didn’t have to say anything (nice) telling me that it was so good,” she added, “and then coming back for more the next weekend.”

By spring of 2020, Buckley’s full time job became Dairy Godmother, complete with a large batch freezer and commercial kitchen space. She began vending downtown and booked weddings, parties and tailgates into next year. 

Customers can buy the ice cream for delivery (starting at $100), by the cooler (starting at $150) or even the whole cart (starting at $300). Dairy Godmother isn’t available in stores, but that could change soon with distribution agreements on the horizon. 

For now, customers can find Stella Buckley and her cart just off the Capitol Square on summer market mornings. 

“I was willing to take that risk to be successful at something I love,” Buckley said. “I’m really proud of myself for taking this leap, because it’s been more successful than I ever dreamed.”