Vanilla slipped to third place in a national survey of America’s favorite ice cream flavors this year, but that ranking does not cover everything people are doing with it. Brands are giving vanilla more attention, whether they leave it largely alone, build other flavors around it or rely on production methods meant to make a simple scoop stand out. That work is showing up on time on July 23, National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, in ways a favorite-flavor ranking cannot capture.
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