Ice cream shop makes Jeff Koons-inspired flavor
York artist Jeff Koons will be honored in the most delicious way possible this summer – with his own ice cream flavor.
Many know the modern artist for his famous balloon animal-shaped art. But this weekend, Sweet Willows Creamery in York will release a flavor modeled after his aluminum sculpture “Play-Doh,” formerly on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Sweet Willows has been making the flavor each summer for the last six years for Koons’ annual employee appreciation party, owner Brent Lebouitz said. And each year, Lebouitz makes an extra batch to serve for his own customers.
He calls it Koons Dough – a French vanilla ice cream with a hint of angel food cake mixed with multicolored sugar cookie dough. The cookie dough is formed into different shapes, making it look like pieces of Play-Doh, he said.
“It’s such an amazing flavor,” he said. “All year long, people ask when we’re going to have Koons Dough.”
Lebouitz typically offers the flavor to the public for just one week in the summer.
“It’s a lot of work to make the flavor,” he said, adding that it takes about six hours to make one batch. “No shape is alike, and there’s a lot of different colors. It makes it harder to add to the ice cream.”
This year, Koons Dough will be available for about a week starting July 29 or until it sells out. Sweet Willows’ regular list of 30 rotating flavors will also be available during that time.
