There are those in the dairy industry who do their work at a desk. Others work in a manufacturing plant, far from prying eyes. Then there is a third group: those who are on full public display, their every move scrutinized by wide-eyed visitors who are curious about how food is made.

The men and women who make ice cream for Velvet Ice Cream Co. in Utica, Ohio, are part of this third group. Only a sheet of glass separates their work space from a viewing gallery where thousands of children, parents and grandparents watch and learn how ice cream is made.