CHRIS RICHARDSON was on the phone, telling me the new American Idol ice cream has half the fat of regular ice cream.

There are five new flavors in all. His favorite is something called Cheesecake Diva. He likes that better than Mint Karaoke Cookie, Cookies 'n Dreamz and One Split Wonder. Even though he's a self-described health nut, Chris is a big cheesecake guy.

He also likes ice cream, "most definitely."

But why did the "American Idol" finalist from Chesapeake, who finished in the top 10 in the television singing competition last year, want to talk about ice cream?

Because it's part of his strategy for increased exposure. He's in town this week on his new job as an Edy's ice cream spokesman.

Last fall, he had just come off a 60-day tour with the traveling "Idol" show, was working on an album and splitting time between Virginia and California when the offer from Edy's "came his way," he said, Hollywood style, as if it breezed in on a paper airplane.

Sure, being on "American Idol" opens some doors. But he thinks things may be tougher on him because of his fame. He is unsigned, a musical free agent.

"You can go into a record label, and they don't want you because you've been on the show," he said.

Now, every bit of exposure helps. He never knows where a break could come.

"Anything you can do - it can be a clip of your song on a Rhapsody commercial - and your single could just blow up."

So Richardson, 24, is looking for his shot at a place where the doors open automatically.

Wednesday he'll be at the Farm Fresh on Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake as part of a 10-date tour of grocery stores across the country. "It is a humbling experience," he told me.

Sometimes he's in the frozen-food aisle, but mostly he's set up wherever the store can accommodate a crowd. In other cities, like Seattle or San Diego, a few hundred people showed up, and for two hours he posed for pictures and signed autographs.

Local shoppers can register online for a chance to have him perform at their house.

An early version of his new single, "All Alone," is on an Edy's compilation album, free if you buy two containers of ice cream. Justin Guarini, a runner-up from the first season of "Idol" and co-star of the 2003 movie "From Justin to Kelly," is also on the album.

On the company's Web site, Richardson and fellow "Idol" star Melinda Doolittle sing jingles the Edy's marketing staff wrote for each of the new flavors.

"Banana - I wanna have ya/In a sundae/what a fun day"

Or "Mint Karaoke Cookie you're the best/Better than the rest/on a med exam you pass the test/You're my favorite house guest."

Or - and brace yourself, because this gets a little funky - "The Most Orange-inal (yeah!) is sweet and rich/it can satisfy your craving at the flip of a switch."

Richardson is excited to see his friends and family in Chesapeake this week. They're curious about his record. And he's eager to meet fans from his hometown, because he thinks there's a special bond.

After the store meet-and-greet Wednesday, he'll play a three-song concert for the online contest winner and 20 friends. He takes requests.

"If I don't (know it), I'll try to wing it."

And from there, he'll move on to the next grocery store, on to the next steamed-up freezer door.

Hawking ice cream may sound a little silly, but Richardson wants to know that he did everything possible to make it in the music business and that he made each decision with his career in mind.

"I mean, it's ice cream," he said. "It's not like it's Brussels sprouts."

Mike Gruss, (757) 446-2277 mike.gruss@pilotonline.com