Get Punk’d (with Ice Cream) in Kennett Square

It’s summer! It’s hot! And I couldn’t let National Ice Cream Month go by without a shout out to one of my favorite Kennett Square ice cream spots, which has not only tasty treats but also a catchy moniker. That’s right—Punk’d Pineapple has been dipping, constructing, shaking and plating ice cream novelties since opening at The Market at Liberty Place in January 2013.

Punk'd Pineapple

Entrepreneurs Anna and Jim Jennings—with their teen daughters, Sarah and Kathryn, and a dedicated staff—provide the stuff that hot summer dreams are made of. When asked how the quirky name originated, Anna confessed, “One of our main products was going to be Dole Pineapple Whip (if you haven’t tried one, you must), and we wanted a name that included the word ‘Pineapple’ while incorporating our personalities. We worked with an Internet company who asked us if we had any suggestions for names and one of my taglines at the time was ‘I got punk’d in Kennett Square.’ They loved that idea—so it stuck.”

Punk'd PineappleIt’s been sticking ever since with an expanding legion of local dessert lovers as well as a healthy list of Facebook and Instagram followers. With no previous ice cream experience (Anna has a long-term corporate sales background), the Jennings family knew what they loved (after sampling the Dole product at a Disney resort) and were determined to bring the taste of sunshine back to the masses in southern Chester County.

Since opening, Punk’d Pineapple has branched out to offer vegan, lactose-free and full-dairy soft serve as well as a line of premium hand-dipped ice cream, other homemade concoctions, waffles and all things that go well with ice cream. Although some of the soft-serve product is created in-house, they’ve also partnered with a family-owned business in Maine to provide locally sourced ingredients in their hand-dipped ice cream when possible and to use the milk from pasture-raised cows.

Touting no shortage of flavors, the team has the potential to dole out (no pun intended) 30 plus selections—including Campfire S’mores, Scream for Cake, raspberry, mango and orange.

Scrumptious novelties include a variety of ice cream sandwiches (including an obscenely delicious concoction made with a Krispy Kreme Donut), parfaits (layered with homemade cake or cobbler, ice cream and toppings), banana boats, sundaes, signature floats, milk shakes and homemade Liege Belgian waffles (right now only available on their ice cream trucks) that can be layered with fruit or ice cream creations. “We also offer about 8–10 toppings including our homemade pretzel ‘candy,’ and we change them up based on what flavor soft serve we are offering and our artistic slant for that week,” noted Anna.

Punk'd PineappleSharing the philosophy that ice cream should be artistic and fun, Punk’d Pineapple also brings its creations alive with trademark candy eyes (edible of course) plunked into the treat that gaze at you—almost daring you to eat more. “I love seeing customers’ reactions when they see eyes on their ice cream. I tell them it’s so they can see their way back to us,” she teased.

Not content to just twist the treats in the brick and mortar shop, the duo’s original business plan included an investment in taking the glacial goods out for a spin to local events in two self-designed trucks, engineered by friend and long-time Kennett resident Chuck Reynolds, who “helped us bring our idea to life and built our trucks,” explained Anna.

“Our original idea was to do soft serve on the truck, but we’ve since changed it to carry a line of hand-dipped ice cream as well. What we didn’t realize is how unique the idea to offer hand-dipped on an ice cream truck was and is.”

Elsie (she’s pink) is the event and catering truck. She has made appearances at Chadds Ford Barn MarketParadocx Vineyard’s Summer Concerts, Chaddsford Winery’s Baconfest and Red, White and BBQ, Canine Partners for Life’s Open House, the Anson B. Nixon Park September Concert Fundraiser, Delaware’s Taco Fest, area pools and Kennett High School sporting events. Whitey (obviously, he’s white) is the dedicated Creamery truck and he will stay parked on-site until October. Both trucks were named after Anna’s late parents.

And speaking of the Creamery, I asked Anna about Punk’d Pineapple’s relationship with the team at the Kennett Square beer garden-themed venue. “We LOVE being part of the Creamery team and working with awesome people like Mike, Dot and especially Sandra. Our relationship with them is very simpatico,” she emphasized. “We very much feel like we are not just strategic partners but part of the team. When they first approached us about their concept, although it was a desolate building at the time, we didn’t hesitate to say yes. We could visualize what they were telling us. Of course, the end result far exceeded what our mind’s eye could see at the time.”

Local partnerships are an important priority to the Jennings family, and giving back to the community was always—and continues to be—an important part of their young business. In addition to what they do as a business in partnership with The Market of Liberty Place and local schools, donations have been made to the Kennett Demons, Kennett Rotary, The Garage (on behalf of the relationship with The Creamery), JDRF of Delaware, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Anson B. Nixon Park, Land Conservancy of Chester County, Canine Partners for Life, Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association and The Independence School of Delaware.

Catering is also a large part of the Punk’d Pineapple business. “We catered a wedding in May and we are catering another in September. We create custom ice cream pieces for every event we cater, from an ice cream sundae bar to custom parfaits, ice cream ‘shooters’ and ice cream sandwiches. This business gives us a balance of being creative; getting to talk to a lot of different and interesting people; and involving and teaching our daughters the value of building a business, having an entrepreneurial spirit and giving back to the community,” cited Anna.

When pressed for future plans, Anna acknowledged that another truck may find its way into the tiny fleet, and she also hinted at a surprise in the near future that we’ll have to keep our eyes open for.

Find Punk’d Pineapple in the Market at Liberty Place at 148 W. State St., Kennett Square; phone: (610) 444-4446. You can also find Punk’d Pineapple’s truck Whitey parked at the hip new spot The Creamery every Thursday through Sunday.

  • Top three photos: Punk'd Pineapple
  • Remaining photos: Nina Malone