The Beese Knees: Philly’s Gourmet Ice Cream Cakes

“If you use the words ‘life changing’ in your blog post, it wouldn’t be a lie.”

This was what one of our Big Green Party guests said afterwards, referring to our amazing sponsors, the Beese Knees.

There’s been a void of ice cream cake in my life since the 90s. And a local company is ready to fill it. And then beat allll expectations.

West Philadelphia couple Kristina Beese & Tom Williamson create local, gourmet ice cream cakes, perfect for any occasion or just because.

I sat down with Kristina & Tom to ask about their newest venture, The Beese Knees.

Beginnings of The Beese Knees

Last August, Kristina decided to make a special Ice Cream cake for her boyfriend, Tom, for his birthday. Once their friends tasted the creation, they suggested she continued to make them. So she did.

The Beese Knees was born.

After the birthday party, they took their creations to the Hamilton porch sale. Both Kristina and Tom’s backgrounds came in handy to get the business off and running.

Tom has a woodworking expertise. After a trip to the Home Depot, he built the Ice Cream cart from scratch a week before their first event. Multitalented as a nanny and photographer, Kristina whipped up cupcakes for the affair and captured photos that has me salivating.

But how do these cupcakes taste? As another Big Green Party attendee said,

“Whenever someone had one of those cupcakes in their hands, it’s like they were totally alone and everything else around them disappeared. And after that moment, they were back at the party.”

local ice cream creations with Unique Flavors

Kristina & Tom create innovative flavors of The Beese Knees, like the Olde Fashioned, described as “chocolate covered pretzel-stuffed brownie bottom is the base for coffee ice cream followed by traditional chocolate “crunchies”, smooth bourbon ice cream and shaved dark chocolate.” They balance more gourmet treats with simpler flavors like the Short Rosie, a spin of a Strawberry Shortcake.

Just look at it.

Amazing, right?

Most of their ingredients are organic (like the ice cream base, produce, etc) and they keep the selections seasonal for the freshest taste. Since they’re new in the market, they’re still seeking supplier options and hope to source locally as much as possible.

These food entrepreneurs are slowly transitioning into a bigger deal with a commercial kitchen. Their next goals? Look out for small businesses that will carry their cakes in the near future.

When I asked them about being the new kids on the block with other Philly ice cream companies popping up in recent years, they had nothing but positive words for the Philly food scene. As Beese said,

 “Everyone has been so welcoming and giving us such great advice. We definitely fell in love with the Philly Food Community”.

When they’re not whipping up their own creations, they like to frequent Honey’s (one of my favs too!) and Termini’s bakery for cannoli and tiramisu.

Follow the Beese Knees

Keep your eyes peeled for what this dynamic dessert duo is up to next by following their delicious Instagram page (@thebeeseknees) and Facebook. Place orders directly on their website.