Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams to reopen shops May 22

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams announced Thursday it has resumed making ice cream and expects to reopen its scoop shops in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Jeni’s closed its shops, stopped production and recalled its frozen products April 23 after a sample tested positive for listeria. The company has two Chicago shops, one in the Southport Corridor and one in Wicker Park.

The closure and recall came just days after a similar action by Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries. Blue Bell’s ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states and three deaths.

Jeni’s said it will reopen its shops at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 22, with normal business hours resuming the next day. The Columbus, Ohio-based company said its shops will reopen with Salty Caramel and other signature flavors. Additional flavors will be added as its production ramps up.

For the first time in the company’s history, Jeni’s allowed another dairy to make a few flavors of its ice cream — Smith’s, a 110-year-old dairy, in Orrville, Ohio.

The company said sales in grocery stores and online will resume later this summer.