SOUTHERN CELEBRATIONS
“ We cannot wait to see our story continue as we enter our next century of serving Leopold ’ s Ice Cream .”
– Stratton Leopold
1901 - Panagiotis ( Peter ) and Giorgios ( George ) Eleopoulos immigrated to the United States from Greece via the ship SS Potsdam . They traveled to Brazil , Indiana , where they spent the next four years learning the delicate art of making candy and ice cream from master confectioner James Peter Zarafonetis .
1905 – George and Peter settled in Savannah at the urging of their sister Demetra , who had married Savannah local George Paul Carellas .
1919 - George and Peter purchase a fruitand-grocery business on the streetcar crossing of Gwinnett and Habersham Streets . Using the skills they had learned in Indiana , they tapped into the newest American craze : ice cream !
1925-28 - Peter and Marika had two children , Elias ( Louie ) and Basiliki ( Beki ).
1943 - Peter and Marika had their third child , Efstratios ( Stratton ).
1961 - Stratton graduated from Benedictine Military School .
1973 - Stratton moved to Atlanta to help kick start Georgia ’ s fledgling film industry with a like-minded group of industry newcomers .
100 Years of Delicious Memories
An iconic brand 100 years in the making , Leopold ’ s Ice Cream celebrates a century of steadfastly serving Savannah with a commemorative book as visually pleasing as their Rum Bisque is delectable .
BY MELANIE BOWDEN SIMÓ N • PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM JOHNSON
1988 - Stratton traveled back and forth to the West Coast to produce numerous films in that area and internationally .
2004 - Stratton and wife Mary opened the new flagship location of Leopold ’ s Ice Cream on Broughton Street .
2019 - Leopold ’ s Ice Cream celebrated its 100th birthday with a community block party attracting more than 14,000 guests .
2020 - Melanie Bowden Simón authored Leopold ’ s Ice Cream : A Century of Tasty Memories which received multiple international accolades .
AR MORE THAN just a history of Savannah ’ s own
F hometown ice cream , “ Leopold ’ s Ice Cream : A Century of Tasty Memories , 1919-2019 ” sprinkles in history and Hollywood , then a heaping helping of nostalgia , for an experience you ’ ll eat up .
The book was written by Melanie Bowden Simón , a friend of renowned ice cream maker and Hollywood film producer Stratton Leopold and his wife Mary , and features a foreword by former President Jimmy Carter . With 100 years of history and stories to tell , creating a beautiful book to bind it all together felt like a natural fit . Within its pages are vintage photos from the earliest years of this Savannah institution ’ s existence and copies of priceless items from their archives such as original menus , newspaper clippings , and even naturalization documents .
The book has been named as an award-winning finalist for the 2020 International Book Awards in the following four categories : Biography , General Business , General History and United States History . It was also named one of the Best Cover Design finalists in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards non-fiction category .
“ We are absolutely thrilled the book received such prestigious recognition ,” said Stratton Leopold . “ We cannot wait to see our story continue as we enter our next century of serving Leopold ’ s Ice Cream .”
The book concludes with precious personal stories from Leopold ’ s customers , which read more like love letters to the family business . In these challenging and unprecedented times , this treasure chest of a book evokes welcome feelings of genuine happiness and pride … and a serious craving for a scoop of Peanut Butter Chippy . •
22 SOUTH FALL 2020