After tasting three different flavors, Yonathan Setiawan selected a fruity frozen-grassfed-organic-Ohio-dairy variety. Was it the right choice?

Setiawan, from Bluffton, Ohio, gave his approval: “So good.” With that, the lemon and blueberry frozen yogurt from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams became another two-word winner.

Signature flavors offered year-round at Jeni’s include: Gravel Road, Thai Chili and Salty Caramel, the shop’s most popular flavor and name of the company blog (saltycaramel.com). Summer seasonal flavors right now include Strawberry Buttermilk, Backyard Mint, and Wildberry Lavender.

“Our flavors are inspired by [local] farmers,” said Jeni Britton Bauer, president and founder of the company, which has two locations within walking distance of the convention center. “We’re looking to shake things up with cucumbers later this week.”

Two new flavors will be blended up by the end of the week: apricot yogurt and cucumber sorbet. Sweet corn and black raspberry was introduced on Wednesday (because you can never be too far from corn).

But corn and raspberries aren’t the only fresh, local produce that Jeni’s incorporates into ice cream. Every Saturday morning during the summer, each of the store managers goes and gets fresh berries at the North Market, which are then served over ice cream, along with real “whooped cream.”

Jeni’s seeks to utilize whatever ingredients are simply in season. “Farmers brought us beets earlier,” Britton Bauer said, “which we used to color one of our chocolate flavors red-velvet, making it look iridescent.”

Britton Bauer opened her first ice cream adventure, called Scream, in 1996. In 2002, it reopened as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, which has now expanded to include five retail locations and one production kitchen in and around Columbus. According to jenisicecreams.com, the corporate culture is “to create the finest ice creams with compelling ingredients and serve them with graciousness to every customer.”

“We try to visibly be ambassadors for Columbus,” said Jeni’s spokesperson Ryan Morgan, who attributes himself the unofficial title of “marketer in residence.” Some employees refer to Morgan even more informally as “the Twitter guy,” because he is in charge of the Jeni’s account. “People who come to the convention center like to see what we’re all about.”

Mennonites have been flanking Jeni’s since Monday, with no signs of decreasing traffic until Sunday (not because Mennonites don’t eat ice cream on the Sabbath, but because Convention 2009 officially ends that morning). According to Carly Habenschuss, manager of the North Market location, business has been steady. “Usually our rushes are at lunch and dinner, but now it’s all the time,” Habenschuss said.

Setiawan wasn’t the only Mennonite at a loss for words during the noontime rush at Jeni’s on Wednesday. “It was awesome,” said Alyssa Horst, from Orrville, Ohio. “I’m just trying to get the experience of Columbus.”

That’s exactly what Jeni’s wants customers to consider. “It’s all about the experience,” Morgan said. “You could come in and sample flavors for half an hour. That’s fine. We understand that some of our flavors can be intimidating.”

Britton Bauer goes a step farther. She professes to not be shy about eating ice cream in general – from Jeni’s that is. “Our milk is only pasteurized once and contains as many omega-3s as three fish supplements,” Britton Bauer said. “You can eat a big sundae, which is not low on calories but is high on nutrients. People are surprised to hear it, but our cream is actually kind of good for you.”

There you have it: Indulge a little, take a sample or two – or as many as you want. Make your selection, and enjoy a large helping of frozen deliciousness. Don’t worry, it’s good for you; you’re supporting local farmers; and experiencing the best of Columbus all at once.

“Ice cream is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment,” Morgan said (especially when you’re encouraged to sample as many as you’d like).

“We welcome taste-testing,” Britton Bauer said. “You don’t have to buy anything. It’s important to push people to taste things that invite your flavor memory that eats away at your brain.”

July is National Ice Cream Month, created by President Reagan in 1984. The United States ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

Recent coverage of the ice cream shop can be found in the New York Times, Food and Wine magazine, Food Network, Bon Appetit magazine, and NBC’s Today Show. In June 2009, Bon Appetit ranked Jeni’s as the number eight ice cream shop in the United States. In 2005, Food and Wine handed Britton Bauer a “Tastemaker Award” as an ice cream artist.

The Short North location (just up from the convention center on High Street) is open 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. The shop in the North Market is open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8am-5pm; Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.