“It’s like opening a gift!” beamed Jen Satinsky, as she described the concept of what unwrapping one of her hand-tooled Weckerly’s Ice Cream sandwich creations is all about (Weckerly’s was born from her maiden name). Husband, business partner and jack-of-all-trades Andy mirrored her enthusiasm. “We attempted a few ways to package our product, but found the individually wrapped wax paper with our blue and white label allows us to truly display our vision.” And what a vision it’s become since its inception in 2012, as this team of tempters shared their scoop of a story with me.
The kitchen and office of the self-proclaimed micro-creamery is hidden deep within the gritty, industrial 30,000 square feet of Globe Dye Works, a former thread-dyeing factory in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. It too is like discovering a gift—loaded with swaying original light fixtures, stacks of old wooden chairs, worn brick-walls, an unused monster boiler room, skylights, a maze of catwalks and the echoes of footsteps.
In the pristine and protected kitchen, the two novelty masterminds explained process, pasteurization and production. As they caressed stainless steel vats that house agitators, dials and thermometers, freezers and tables and sinks, I found myself briefly distracted by a freshly cut tray of perfectly aligned sandwich crisps also invented by Jen, ready to hug the newest cold creamy concoction.
Jen and Andy were fascinating to watch as their shared passion for the business was displayed with shared glances, hand gestures and completing each other’s sentences. Garnering a Best of Philly Award out of the gate in 2014, it’s obvious to see how the couple works as individuals and, more importantly, in sync to create one of the most original ice cream treats in the area.
Using local seasonal ingredients, unbleached GMO-free sugarcane, herbs and the classic French method of a custard base, Jen—who has extensive pastry chef experience—is clearly the expert when it comes to creating the unique recipes for the frozen finger food. “It’s about a three-day process from beginning to end per batch,” said Jen, who added authentically, “with the warm winter we had this year already, a farmer called us with a surplus of carrots. So we decided to come up with a concept that could use those.”
While scheduling popular flavors is rarely an issue because of the availability of ingredients, many of the Weckerly’s ice cream flavors and sandwich wafers seem to be done magically on the fly. And that works really well. Take a lick—I mean look—at some of their most popular ice cream and sorbet flavors:
- Black & White: fair-trade chocolate and whole-bean vanilla ice cream on chocolate chip cookies
- Strawberry Lovage: roasted strawberry ice cream and herbaceous lovage ice cream on lemon shortbread cookies
- Blueberry Cardamom Grahams: heirloom blueberry with dark rum and lime zest on cardamom sugar-dusted graham crackers
- Buttermilk Rhubarb: tangy buttermilk ice cream with bright swirls of house-made rhubarb butter
- Strawberry Basil Sorbet: tons of ripe local strawberries and refreshing basil (non-dairy)
- Meadow Mint Chocolate Truffle: local, organically grown mint leaves slowly steeped in organic cream and dotted with handmade dark chocolate chips
Just released sandwiches!
- Lucky Pig: roasted apple laurel ice cream with Wyebrook bacon-infused caramel sandwiched between shortbread cookies made with lard from the farm
- Crème Fraîche Carrot Cake: organic cream, roasted local carrots and carrot cake
Andy has no qualms with measuring the space and setting up the complex freezers and other equipment (from his previous life working in the biking industry) that this type of business requires. He works hard at securing new business and enjoys meeting new customers while scooping from a customer-designed blue and white ice cream cart with an umbrella at local festivals and farm markets.
When asked why Weckerly’s Ice Cream is becoming so popular so quickly, he replied, “We’ve quadrupled our output in the past two years and our growth for this year looks very promising. We work hard and we’re grateful for being able to source our ingredients with folks we actually know in the area—plus, our product is different. It’s creative. It’s nostalgic. People today really like that!”
Partnerships include Seven Stars Farm, an organic, biodynamic dairy in Kimberton—the primary source of cream—and Camphill Dairy, an organic, biodynamic dairy that is part of an intentional living community, also in Kimberton. Small nonprofit urban farms in Philadelphia that partner with Weckerly’s include Greensgrow, Heritage Farm and Weavers Way Farm at Saul School, the primary suppliers of organically grown herbs, as well as carrots and the occasional berry; Green-Ford Farm, a brother-sister team that grows chemical-free, heirloom blueberries in New Jersey; Green Meadow Farm, a constant source of inspiration with esoteric produce such as lovage, sumac blossoms and paw paw; and Three Springs Fruit Farm and Garden of Eden Orchards, both primary sources of tree fruit.
A small staff currently assists with the production of the rustic sandwiches, packaged pints and the delicious sorbets when fresh fruit is on the docket. They are looking to expand with a few more hands as the season begins to shift into high gear. I volunteered to become a full-time taster, but apparently that job has already been filled. Go figure.
But enough of this story. You need to get to a Weckerly’s Ice Cream sandwich right now. There are two great ways to get your hands around these packages of frozen fun:
- Retail locations: Academy of Natural Sciences, Di Bruno Bros., Kimberton Whole Foods, Green Aisle Grocery, Harvest Market in Delaware, JPM-The Tasting Room, Mercer Cafe, Mom’s Organic Market, Newark Natural Foods, Penn Gourmet Grocery, Plenty, Swarthmore Food Co Op, Talula’s Table in Kennett Square, Terrain at Styers, Ultimo, Weavers Way in Chestnut Hill, Coffee & Ice Cream Bar in Wayne and West Chester, Winnie’s LeBus and Wyebrook Farm.
- Destination locations: Greensgrow Farm, Lambrusco Event at Kensington Quarters, Collingswood Green Fest, Clover Market Chestnut Hill, Manayunk Spring StrEAT Food Festival, Clover Market at Bryn Mawr, Wyebrook Farm Bluegrass Festival, Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Races, Phoenixville Food Truck Festival and the West Chester Growers Market, to name a few.
Specific additional dates and times can be found on the Weckerly’s website.
Single scoop: Catering and weddings are never out of the question with these guys.
Double scoop: With everything going on during the thick of ice cream season, be sure to keep an eye (and a tongue) out for a Weckerly’s Ice Cream Shop with hand-crafted cones, scheduled to make an appearance this year within the City of Brotherly Love. I cannot wait!
- Bottom two photos: Weckerly's
- Remaining photos: Ed Williams
