Screaming for ice cream? Peirce’s dining services is answering the call.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is now at Kenyon in a permanent installation at the Kenyon Athletic Center. A freezer in the KAC offers pints of select Jeni’s flavors as well as ice cream sandwiches. The flavors will be rotated, and a student panel will determine the initial selection, AVI Executive Chef Meagan Worth-Cappell said.
“I'm excited about Jeni's coming to Kenyon,” Worth-Cappell said. “Giving the student body what they are asking for is something that brings me a lot of joy.”
The process to get Jeni’s products on campus started last year, when Worth-Cappell and AVI contacted the Columbus, Ohio-based company to see if they were interested in selling their products at Kenyon. Worth-Cappell hoped to offer more snack options at the KAC and appreciated the gourmet ice cream company’s commitment to using local ingredients.
“Jeni’s is a big thing where I’m from, so it’ll be nice to have something from home,” said Rachel Arens ’18 of Bexley, Ohio.
Jeni’s joins Velvet as Kenyon’s second Ohio-based ice cream provider. Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman is not worried about increased competition between the two brands. “I don’t think they will compete that much, especially given the price point,” Kohlman said.
Only a handful of schools in the country sell Jeni’s products, including Miami University, Oberlin College, Ohio State University, Ohio University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of California-San Diego and the University of Akron.
“I hadn't heard about Jeni's before coming to Kenyon, but quickly fell in love during the occasional weekend trip to Columbus,” said Annie Sheslow ’15 of Wilmington, Del. “For my friends, if anyone needs a ride to the airport or another errand to run in Columbus, Jeni's is required, and always motivation to ride along.”