Vanderwende’s ice cream from rural Delaware is moving into Center City

Will Vanderwende could have been a farmer like his grandparents, his parents, and his two older brothers. They’ve farmed nearly 4,000 acres in southern Delaware for nearly 70 years.

But Vanderwende, 23, said he was never into the green acres, “and I knew that from a young age.”

“I never felt the pressure to be involved because farming is something you have to be passionate about. You don’t just wake up one day and think, ‘I want to be a farmer.’ It’s 24-7. The cows need to be fed every day. You’re working in the elements. It just never was for me.”

His line of work is in his family’s other business: premium ice cream, made on the farm. He is opening a Vanderwende’s ice cream shop on June 29 at 243 Market St. in Old City. It’s the family’s first location outside of Delaware, and this is Vanderwende’s own business.

The shop, done up in cheery white and aqua with a pink “I scream you scream” neon sign, will sell 32 flavors, all made at the farm two hours away. Signature flavors include Annie’s apple pie, cherry vanilla, cappuccino crunch, Billy’s banana, and the wickedly decadent peanut butter fudge crunch. Some flavors are gluten-free.

There will be shakes, a root beer float, and sundaes, plus vegan soft serve. Figure on $6 for one scoop, $8 for two, and $10 for three. There is a $2 upcharge for a store-made waffle cone, which is popular at the other stores.

The family has been in the ice cream biz since 2012 when Vanderwende’s mother, Donna, convinced his father, Jimmy, to open a scoop shop next to their house.

Donna Vanderwende saw opportunity whizzing past their front door. “Our farm is situated on Route 404, which is the busiest beach route from Baltimore and D.C. to Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and the Delaware beaches,” Will Vanderwende said. “My dad was hesitant at first. It’s scary, right? I remember that our initial shop was designed on the outside to look like a house in case it didn’t work out so someone could live there.”

The idea worked out. The parents own two locations. Will’s brother Jesse and his wife, Taylor, own a location in Dewey Beach, while brother Cody and his wife, Morgan, run one on Fenwick Island.

Meanwhile, the Vanderwendes work the farm, near the Maryland line. It has 225 registered Holsteins, milked twice a day. They also raise field crops such as corn, wheat, barley, watermelon, and soybeans.

The idea of an ice cream shop on a working farm tickles Vanderwende, who went to the University of Delaware to study food and agribusiness marketing and management. “I mean, I grew up with this, but [people] come from D.C. or Baltimore and they’ve never seen a cow in their life. It’s an experience for them. And my dad, in particular, loves it. He thinks it’s so fascinating that he gets to give someone that experience, if that makes sense.”

After growing up in a small town (Bridgeville) and his college days (Newark), “I found myself [in Philadelphia] a lot. It’s semi-close [two hours], so there’s a lot to do here, and I’m very independent. I didn’t want to be home after college. I don’t think I would adjust well to going back to living with rules and things like that.”

He looked all over town until he found the storefront near Third and Market Streets, a former Snap Kitchen store (and a block and a half from Franklin Fountain), “and I knew this was the spot. I felt it. And I wouldn’t take that back for anything, honestly. I think Old City has a neighborhood feel, and I felt the support of the community and that means a lot.”