How one Philly couple is making water ice a Kentucky jawn

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Here in the Bluegrass State, the Bourbon Trail is the stuff of legend. Same for those famous baseball bats that share this city’s name. And you may have heard of the Hot Brown, a sandwich with more genteel roots but just as generous proportions as our native cheesesteak.

But turn down one unassuming Louisville side street, and get ready for a double take.

Yes, that’s the image of the Liberty Bell over that storefront marquee. Yes, those photos of frosty goodness look familiar. And the clincher — the establishment’s name: Philly’s Best Frozen Desserts.

Water ice.

Proprietor Rodney Daisey knows what you’re thinking. He’s ready, scoop in hand.

“Every time we get East Coast folks to come out here, they walk in the door very apprehensive,” he said. “‘I know what it’s called,’ they say, ‘but is this the real deal?’ I say, ‘I’m not going to sit there, trying to convince you. Taste it for yourself.’

“We always get a thumbs up.”

Rodney Daisey and his wife, Tonya, both 53, have created their own little water ice empire in this, another river city. Two Philadelphia-area expats — Rodney hails from West Philly and Tonya’s from Willingboro — they moved to Louisville in 2004 when Rodney got hired as a pilot for UPS.

Since starting their water ice business in 2018, renting space from a kitchen incubator project, and tapping their kids as taste testers, they’ve worked their way up to a store, a special events truck, and concessions in the city’s four stadiums and arenas.

Their shop, with its array of 20 or so changing flavors, is a sight for sore Philly eyes. If the water ice wasn’t enough, the entire rear wall is a photographic ode to all things Philadelphian — Reading Terminal Market, LOVE Park, Tastykake, the Eagles, the 76ers, Temple, Dr. J, Rocky, soft pretzels. Even SEPTA.

The treat itself has proven to be a sweet discovery for the locals and an unexpected delight for East Coasters who stumble upon the couple’s six ice outlets. The Daiseys have found if you serve it, they will come.

The original impetus was something basic, almost primal, to most Philadelphians.

“Every once and again, you get this urge of wanting some water ice, and of course we couldn’t find it,” Rodney said.

There was shaved ice — think snow-cones — but that’s not the same. Louisville has great ice cream, but that didn’t help the Daiseys.

“We have three sons. Two of them have dairy allergies,” Tonya explained. “So when we would go home, water ice was something everyone could enjoy without the other two feeling left out. Here, that wasn’t an option.”

That got the couple thinking: Maybe what their family missed had a place in Louisville.

“We could create our own lane,” Rodney said.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. Rodney said they got valuable advice from two of the pros back home — John’s Water Ice in Bella Vista and King’s in Overbrook. Then it took them about a year of trial and error to get a product they liked. After that, they moved on to figuring out how to make their own ice cream. They wanted to offer that, too, and, of course, gelati.

At first, they sold their frozen desserts at farmers markets and festivals. They graduated to brick-and-mortar, and the business has evolved from there. Rodney still works for UPS, Tonya, a nurse by profession, now manages the store, and they have about 15 total employees. With the stadiums, theirs is now a year-round enterprise.

Building their ice water business, however, has entailed a bit of cultural exchange.

“It was definitely a learning curve for the locals,” said Tonya. “In the beginning and even now, it’s a lot of explaining. What we do is we give samples out because you can try to explain, but you really won’t know until you taste it.”

The Daiseys have noticed regional ordering differences.

When Philadelphians or other East Coasters stop in, the preference is for what these proprietors call the classics — lemon, cherry, or chocolate water ice.

Louisvillians tend to veer to the more exotic. Mango, strawberry-lemonade, and cotton candy are three of their top sellers. Iced tea and peach aren’t flavors you’d usually find on either side of Broad Street.

The locals have different gelati notions, too. Rather than an old-school cherry ice with vanilla ice cream, they’ll go for mango ice with coconut ice cream or mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate water ice, the Daiseys said.

But one item they’ve added to some of their stadium menus that is going over well with the grown-ups is their Spiked Slushy. That’s water ice with spirits added, like a margarita ice with tequila, or strawberry-lemonade water ice and rum.

“The people lose their minds,” Rodney said.

One recent steamy day, some Louisville folks were down at the Daiseys’ shop, getting their water ice fix.

Malcolm Ratliffe, 27, a cheer coach, came in for his customary quart order — part blue raspberry, part lemon.

“This has been my mix for years,” Ratliffe said, “It’s the best.”

Water ice would be his jawn, if they had that word down here.

“I’m a fruity guy. I love fruit flavors. So if it’s between ice cream and water ice, I’m choosing water ice,” Ratliffe said emphatically. “And besides, when ice cream melts and refreezes, it’s not that good. But when water ice melts and refreezes, it’s still good!”

Meanwhile, at a table by the window, Katie Thompson, a local real estate agent, was treating her kids to some post-camp treats.

“We’ll be jacked up on sugar today,” said Thompson, 35, happily scooping her cup of piña colada, while daughter, Caroline, 5, did likewise with her cotton candy water ice. Her brother, Cohen, 7, sported a telltale blue raspberry smile.

The family are neophyte water ice devotees. They were just introduced to it on Emerald Isle, N.C., where it went by the more New York City name of Italian ice.

“We tried it on our beach vacation like two weeks ago, and we all became obsessed with it,” Thompson said.

It might have stayed a holiday indulgence, but back home in Louisville, Thompson discovered the Daiseys’ shop.

“We’re used to really heavy ice cream here,” said Thompson. “So to have something that’s just refreshing and different is nice, especially on days like this when it’s nasty humid.”

(There could even be a little City of Brotherly Love destiny at play. Cohen’s Little League team this summer is called the Phillies.)

The Daiseys want to spread the Philly love even further. Rodney said they are hoping to expand into stadiums in Indiana and Ohio.

Meanwhile, these taste ambassadors are keeping their roots connection strong. They’ve found their own South Philly South — an Eagles bar in Louisville called the Manhattan Project. Every week during football season, it’s packed with Birds jerseys.

“It’s just crazy,” Rodney said. “We got a little piece of home.”

And of course they’re trying to keep it real, water ice-wise. Yes, Philly folks have tried it.

Their verdict?

“I have family members say, ‘Can you ship it to me?’” Tonya said.