Photos by Rose Colored Glasses Photography
No need to hit the store or endure the lines at the ice cream shop. Bonnie Purl Ice Cream Co. will send you everything you need to make it at home. We talked to its Gladwyne-based creators, Lori Franzke and Kate Kaiser, to get the scoop.
MLT: How did you come up with the idea for Bonnie Purl?
Lori: I’ve been making ice cream since I moved here 15 years ago from Texas. The ice cream that I love wasn’t sold here, so Scott [Franzke, Lori’s husband and radio voice for the Phillies] used to buy it for me on special occasions. If it was my first day at work, our anniversary or my birthday, he’d have ice cream delivered from Texas. Then it reached a point where I started to get it delivered on random Tuesdays. That’s when I realized I had to choose between staying married and having this ice cream delivered. So I got to work trying to figure out how to recreate my beloved brand so I could make it on my own.
MLT: What comes in a kit?
Kate: Kits include recipe cards and all the ingredients to make at least two pints of ice cream. Depending on the flavor, some kits include cookies, extracts, parchment paper and even a pinch of salt. It’s all delivered to your front door.
MLT: What ice cream machine do you recommend?
Kate: We have links on our website for customers to learn about them. Cuisinart is the brand we find most accessible in terms of productivity and pricing. We’re also happy to “rent” machines to local customers on the Main Line so they can see how easy they are to use with our kits.
MLT: So there are step by step instructions?
Kate: Of course! It’s really simple to do.
MLT: Do you see this as an everyday activity?
Lori: We’ve learned that people are into making ice cream simply for the experience of making it, especially with others. It’s a creative outlet that can be incorporated into any activity—family time, book clubs, summer barbecues. And because the ingredients are shelf stable, it can be put away and taken out anytime.
Related: 10 Main Line Ice Cream Shops to Try This Summer