Keeping Dad’s Dream Alive One Cone at a Time

Tieg and Lucas Sisler honor their family tradition while forging a new path

Story by Katlyn Sanden

If you’re looking for a fun, new ice cream experience for the family, Sisler’s Ice Cream in Princeton is the place to go.

Located in what was formerly known as Kramer’s Kitchen, siblings Tieg and Lucas Sisler brought their dream to life after purchasing the building late last year. For them, ice cream is so much more than a job. It’s a way to honor their late father.

“We started because it was my dad’s dream,” Tieg said, discussing what inspired them to open Sisler’s Ice Cream. “He was looking at locations, but never really got the chance to do it before he passed away in 2011. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while, and my brother and I decided to go for it when this location came up for sale. It was the perfect opportunity, so we jumped right in.”

Sisler’s has been a family-owned business since 1908 and gained traction by making ice to be used in home iceboxes. Eventually, ice cream was added, and then butter. Today, their main focus is producing quality ice cream and ice. The ice cream is still hand-packed and made with the same dedication and attention to detail as it was in 1908, and it’s available in pint, half-gallon, and three-gallon

See Sisler’s page 10 Tieg Sisler points out a key piece of history on their iconic #familyownedlocallymade wall.

PHOTO BY KATLYN SANDEN

Inset: Tieg and Lucas Sisler are the fourth generation of the Sisler family carrying on the ice cream business.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Sisler’s

FROM PAGE 9 containers. The ice is manufactured with quality-tested water, never touching human hands. The company no longer produces butter.

The Sisler siblings’ grandpa ventured into the ice cream side of the business, and their father took over when he was ready to retire. Today, the ice cream is made by their uncle, but Tieg and Lucas will be the fourth generation of the family to carry on the ice cream business.

Lucas and Tieg have big plans of adding their own personal touches to the company’s rich history.

“Eventually, we’d like to add an ice cream truck so we can conveniently do weddings and parties,” Tieg said.

Even with their family legacy, getting this far hasn’t always been easy.

“It was all kind of guesswork,” Tieg recalls of the early days of opening their shop. “I’ve never done something like this in my life, but I have a lot of great resources in my family that helped me through it.”

Their father always wanted a place where the community could have the opportunity to try any of Sisler’s famous ice cream flavors. Tieg and Lucas strive to do just that in their rustic industrial ice cream parlor. Along with hand-dipped, locally-made ice cream cones, they also offer root beer floats, chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, specialty sundaes, ice cream cake, take-home ice cream, and specialty milkshakes.

“We kept everything simple,” Tieg said of their current menu. “We named the first milkshake (The Billy) after our dad because that was the shake he made us when we were little. We named the rest of them after landmarks in Princeton.”

THEIR SPECIALTY SHAKES INCLUDE:

n The Billy: Chocolate peanut butter banana shake with chocolate drizzle. n LoveJoy: Strawberry banana shake with chocolate drizzle. n Tiger Paw: Chocolate caramel shake with chocolate and caramel drizzle. n Red Covered Bridge: Raspberry chip shake with chocolate drizzle. n Exit 56: Salted caramel espresso shake with caramel drizzle.

Other items they have added to the menu include Custard Corner BBQ (which is the original recipe the former Custard Corner served several years ago), the flavor of the month, popcorn, and they hope to add Chicago-style hot dogs at some point.

The siblings are learning as they go, but never expected the community to show up in the way they did in the first few weeks of opening.

“I had no idea how excited people were,” Tieg said. “We sold out of lunch and ice cream the first day we opened. Everyone was coming for lunch. It was packed full. I was running up to Ohio to get more ice cream. Everyone has been so positive and thankful that we have opened the shop.”

“There was a lot of excitement from the community when we announced that we were going to be doing this,” Lucas added. “It was satisfying to watch it finally come to fruition. This was always something my dad wanted to attempt, but never did due to concerns about how successful it could actually be. It feels great being able to pull it off and receive all of this support and positive feedback from the community.”

When asked if family dynamics get in the way of their professional relationship, Tieg says they complement each other well. While she enjoys being the face of the business, Lucas prefers working behind the scenes. They share the workload evenly and include other family members in different aspects of the business.

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