In a sweet victory for local families, Montgomery County’s Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream has been named the winner of the 2025 “Washington Parent Picks” award in the Ice Cream category.
“Washington Parent” is a trusted resource for families in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (the DMV). It is a publication and online platform that has been providing support, information, and community connections to parents for over 40 years. The annual recognition that comes with its Parent Picks is voted on by parents and their children from the DC Metropolitan area.
Sarah’s Handmade currently has two locations in Bethesda (5241 River Road and 10219 Old Georgetown Rd.) and one location in Rockville (14929 Shady Grove Road). Sarah’s will be opening its first DC location at 2029 P Street, NW, in Dupont Circle, and has an upcoming Chevy Chase, MD location coming this fall.
The story of Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream is a heartwarming tale of passion, family, and community. It all began in the early 1990s in South Korea, where Sarah Park, a mother with a discerning palate, started making homemade ice cream for her daughter, Annie. After the family immigrated to Bethesda, Maryland, in 2000, Sarah rekindled her hobby upon retirement in 2018. Her original recipes, crafted with the highest-quality, all-natural ingredients, quickly garnered a following, leading to calls and orders from eager strangers.
Recognizing the immense potential, Sarah enlisted the help of her daughter, Annie Park, a Harvard graduate with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. What started as a temporary project quickly blossomed into a full-time commitment. Under Annie’s leadership, Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream rapidly expanded, with each scoop shop dedicated to offering 40 daily, site-made flavors that Sarah herself would be “proud to serve her own family.”
