Sweetest story of palliative care nurse scooping ice cream on notorious Adelaide beat
After hearing aged care patients constantly share what they wished they had done with their lives, Jai Singh decided it was time to pursue a dream that just might turn Hindley Street’s fortunes around.
A young Adelaide nurse has made a sweet career switch from palliative aged care to ice cream, with high hopes his new venture will be the catalyst to turning a weary-looking Hindley Street’s fortunes around.
Jai Singh, 25, is planning to open a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop in the CBD with the doors slated to be flung open on Tuesday, May 5.
“Opening an ice cream store is a dream come true. It’s every child’s dream, and it’s coming true for myself. I can’t believe it, even now that it’s happening,” the trained palliative and aged care nurse says.
Singh moved to South Australia from Sydney, first taking a job in aged and palliative care nursing in Murray Bridge. He instantly felt a connection with this new home.
“I just fell in love with Adelaide. I’m not going to go anywhere else. It has such a lovely cool small town vibe and everything,” he says.
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Singh says nursing gave new perspective on what was important in life, with many of his patients in their final days sharing what they wished they had done in their lives. It helped inspire his career change.
“Then I asked myself, “Jai, what was something you always wanted to do?” I wanted to spread joy, but I wanted to do something fun at the same time. So, it comes out to be the ice cream. I love ice cream and the joy it gives to people,” Singh says.
Ice cream is important to Jai Singh, and he has been enjoying it since childhood. However, he says it isn’t just the ice cream that’s important to this new Hindley Street project, he also wants to see how it can contribute to the community.
“Ben & Jerry’s is a brand which actually is more than just an ice cream. They are all about social causes,” Singh says.
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“As a Ben & Jerry’s, we are all about doing everything for the community. I would like to partner with all the communities, like charitable organisations, blood donation centres and everything.”
“Literally, if I wanted to make money, I wouldn’t be in this. I’m here to always have fun and do something for the community at the same time.”
Singh’s store will open on the corner of Blyth Street and the historic but infamous Hindley Street. Despite numerous Hindley Street businesses closing their doors in recent years, he says the decision to open an ice cream store on the well-known was intentional.
“Yes, a lot of people are telling me, “Hindley Street, geez, why Hindley Street?”. It’s very hard to say. Like, that’s the last place any store wants to open,” he says.
“[But I think] there’s a good future there. There’s very big potential there, I think. And I could be that kind of a catalyst in the situation, with my business bringing that choice so that people think, ‘Hey, there’s a new business coming’. There’s a lot more business coming up after that”.
Singh has a detailed plan for the store’s opening day celebration, and he says it’s a chance to try flavours you can’t easily purchase in stores.
“So, from 12 o’clock midday till 8pm in the evening, there’s unlimited ice cream. Any flavour, cone, cup, just come in and literally, we’re serving whichever flavour you want,” he shared.
“Ultraviolet is one of those flavours that is only at a scoop shop. It’s like a purple colour ice cream made out of spirulina, so no artificial colours. We’ve got Marshmallow Sky, we’ve got peanut butter chunks, we’ve got caramel blondie. A lot of vegan flavours as well.”
After it opens at midday on May 5, the store’s regular hours will be from 9am-midnight on regular weekdays and from 9am-2am on Fridays and Saturdays.
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