Back when the weather was colder than the Illini basketball team down the stretch, my wife and I took a drive east to New York City to catch up with some old friends, and see a few things that we missed on our last (three) trips to the Big Apple. When the day came to leave, we noticed on the weather report that there was a huge snowstorm/ice storm swirling in the central Ohio to New Jersey part of the country. “We’ll drive slow,” we told each other.
Man, did we ever. It took us three days to get home on a trip that took us one to get out there. One of the stops we made was in Columbus, Ohio. And it was there that we discovered what has become a household sensation ever since: Jeni’s Ice Cream.
And now, you can get it in Champaign, too.
Yes friends, Cakes on Walnut has decided to add ice cream to their already delicious menu that has many varieties of cupcakes. And the ice cream they picked is about as good as it gets.
Jeni’s is the work of a one Jeni Britton Bauer who decided to start making extremely flavorful and interesting kinds of unique ice cream while working in a French patisserie. That’s a pastry shop for those of you who don’t know. The result is an immense amount of creativity combined with the freshest ingredients you can imagine.
How fresh? She gets her mint leaves from her own backyard.
And that’ just one of the flavors you can try if you stop in to Cakes on Walnut. The owners have stayed pretty safe with the flavors to start by offering classics like dark chocolate, a honey vanilla, Jeni’s signature flavor — Salted Caramel (the best thing on fucking earth) — and even the Pear Riesling Sorbet, which is literally, pears, Riesling and sugar. Nothing else. It’s tremendous.
In June, when my wife had surgery, I thought what better way to cheer her up than with a load of this sweet indulgence. I order nine pints and they were shipped to our door, packed in dry ice and perfectly frozen. They must have noticed what I put on the card, because Jeni personally sought my wife out on the internet via her blog to let her know that they hoped she was recovering quickly.
Now that’s how you build a company.
Thank you Cakes on Walnut. A hot move for a cool treat. Love it.