Poppin’ John’s Ice Cream
Behind Homemade the Memories Scenes Story: Jancey Smith of Food Favorites Photos provided
One of summer’s favorite treats is ice cream. It’s cool, creamy and lightly sweet with a host of possible flavors. It’s even better when it’s homemade. A local couple has a busy side hustle making homemade ice cream on the weekends. Joe and Debbie Whitbeck of Princeton, can be found at vendor fairs, festivals and weekend shows like the Antique Tractor show, with their “Poppin’ John’s Ice Cream” food truck. Initially, their son Doug bought this antique ice cream maker from an old guy in Henderson, Kentucky. He thought it’d be a hobby and good way to spend time on the weekends with his daughter. After a couple of years, it just got to be too much. He was getting calls
Debbie & Joe Whitbeck
ranging from Ohio, Tennessee, and North Carolina to travel to fairs, festivals, and rodeos throughout the midwest. That’s when Joe and Deb bought the business. For the last three years, they have been serving up this sweet treat throughout the area. They started with just a few tables and a tent in front of their antique ice cream maker. After pricing the cost of an actual food truck, the pair, with the help of their sons, got creative. They took a pop up camper and gutted it, so they could transform it into a customized food truck. This project took two continued next page
The ice cream machine
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Small Town Living
August 2022
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