Clementine’s Homemade Ice Cream, owned by Warren and Jessica Sternberg, is an ice cream gem located in Middletown, Portsmouth, and its original — and largest — location in East Greenwich. Since its inception in 2017, Clementine’s has been captivating customers with its rich and creamy ice cream, and exceptional flavors. 

Warren, who hails from North Kingstown, started scooping and making ice cream in high school at Brickley’s Ice Cream in Narragansett. Before opening Clementine’s, he spent six years in corporate recruiting. Together with his wife Jessica, a pharmacist, they knew they wanted to own their own business, and they would leverage Warren’s ice cream experience. While there “is no perfect time” to open a business, according to Warren, he left his recruiting career, and they opened their first shop in East Greenwich in 2017 before they had children.

They chose East Greenwich because of its charming main street and lack of an ice cream shop.  

Expansion has been a part of their journey, with new locations opening in Middletown in 2020, offering thirty flavors, and Portsmouth in 2024, offering twenty flavors. Despite the challenges of navigating permits and regulations, the couple has successfully built a small ice cream empire, and they now have three children under 4 years old. 

To satisfy their clients all year long, the shops host dedicated events for opening and closing days and are open for a few days around the winter holidays to sell pints of both theme flavored and classic flavors of ice cream, all creating anticipation for next Spring. The change of season also creates a change of pace in the business — with the retail operation mostly closed from November into March, Warren and Jess spend the winter discovering new flavors and refining their operations. Warren also catches up on time with his children, and on household projects.  

Clementine’s offers an array of flavors to satisfy everyone. From classic favorites like black raspberry and chocolate chip to inventive options like cookie dough and s’mores, there is something for everyone. Each weekend, Clementine’s features a special dish, adding excitement to the visit. Recently, the special was a Cookie Monster, a vanilla ice cream with Oreos, mini-M&Ms, and cookie dough. For those with dietary preferences, they also offer frozen yogurt and sugar-free options. 

Handcrafted creaminess

The ice cream-making process is a labor of love and requires a steady production line to keep the cases full. “It's a craft process,” Warren said. Warren and his team churn fresh batches at the East Greenwich location, using two machines that run for 10 hours a day during summer.  

After churning, when the ice cream is still at a soft serve-like consistency, the chunky bits, such as chocolate chips or cookie dough, is hand-mixed in by the team to ensure every bite is perfect. The team then deep-freezes the ice cream to minus 20 degrees (F). “The goal is to get it rock solid as soon as possible,” said Warren, explaining that this prevents ice crystals from forming. “That is the key to maintaining the creamy texture,” Warren said of the process.

Finally, Clementine’s delivers ice cream daily by freezer van to each location. Because most tubs sell out in only a couple of days, this process ensures that all the ice cream in Clementine’s dip cases is fresh, creamy, and full of flavor. 

For a great ice cream experience, visit Clementine’s and try their seasonal apple pie flavored ice cream in a waffle cone. With more than twenty flavors in each shop, there is always something for everyone to enjoy.  

Visit Clementine’s at 2934 South County Trail in East Greenwich (open through October), 62 Wave Avenue in Middletown (open until the middle of October), and 1016 East Main Rd in Portsmouth (open until the end of September).