Season 4, Episode 20

What if your big idea started with a borrowed credit card, a Paco Jet, and a dream? In this sweet and satisfying episode, I sit down with Chad Townsend, co-founder of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, to hear how he and his wife Lauren turned a chef’s side hustle into one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved ice cream brands.

Chad shares how his journey from fine dining kitchens to ice cream entrepreneur began with a few experimental batches, a loyal network of chef friends, and an early commitment to quality—from raw milk to real-food coloring. He talks about building their own dairy plant, why pasteurization is more complex than you'd think, and how they shifted from wholesale dreams to retail reality once they opened their first scoop shop.

We dig into favorite (and not-so-favorite) flavors, why waffle cones matter, and what it’s like to swap the late-night life of a chef for the creative, family-friendly world of ice cream. Chad opens up about parenting picky eaters, culinary school mistakes, and his time in both Pittsburgh kitchens and the French Alps. Plus: what’s next for Millie’s, what flavors you won’t see in the case, and which unexpected combo became a surprise hit.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered what might happen if you said yes to that big idea—even if it meant a little bit of risk and a lot of ice cream.