President Obama can look forward to a large audience when he delivers his State of the Union address tonight. While the seating plan has yet to be finalized, two seats are already reserved for local ice cream makers Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis of the Penny Ice Creamery. They were able to open their Santa Cruz ice cream shop with stimulus funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. It has since become a hit, with an A-list of celebrity fans including Vice President Joe Biden, who called in by speakerphone after a thank-you YouTube video made by Baker and Davis went viral.
With President Obama expected to push job creation to expand the economy, he wants to show off the success of earlier job creation efforts. While factories that produce mechanical parts are important, there is something about ice cream that transcends party politics (though the chocolate v. vanilla debate can get rather nasty).
This Saturday, the Penny Ice Creamery announced its flavors on Facebook: Candy Cap Mushroom, New Orleans Coffee, Burnt Cinnamon, Earl of Grey, Banana Toffee, Orange Star Anise, Brown Sugar Oats Walnut, Tahitian Vanilla Bean and Dark Chocolate Sorbet. One can only hope they take a page out of Ben and Jerry’s playbook, and name a new flavor for the SOTU. Red, White and Blueberry or Baracky Road sound absolutely delicious too. Read more at ABC 7 and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
