Those of us old enough to remember Ronald Reagan’s presidency remember his love of sweets. While jellybeans might have been his favorite treat, he also had a fondness for ice cream.
In 1984, Reagan passed a law designating July as National Ice Cream Month, and that was legislature guaranteed to receive bi-partisan support.
In honor of National Ice Cream Month, we are giving a nod to Hoggy’s, the ice cream parlor that opened on Main Street in 2019. A pink and blue hog hoisting a pink and blue cone welcomes visitors to the pink and blue shop where Chrissy Hogsten and her staff serve some 20 flavors, which, with a few exceptions, rotate on a weekly basis.
Cuteness, friendliness, and unusual ice cream flavors aside (have you tried Fudgy Cow or Coconut Almond Chip lately?), what really put Hoggy’s on the map is that Hogsten believes it is the only place in Central Kentucky that serves Dole Whip, a mouth-watering soft serve that was developed more than three decades ago by the Dole Pineapple Company.
The Dole Company may have created it, but it was Disneyland in California that is credited with introducing it to the masses.
For years, the only place where one could get a cup or a cone of this gelid goodness was at the Happiest Place on Earth, as it was only served at the Tiki Room in the park’s Adventureland.
Since then, Dole Whip has popped up at other locations in the U.S., but finding it is still a bit like finding a square-cut diamond in the midst of a rock pile.
At Hoggy’s you can enjoy a cup or a cone of pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, lime, orange and lemon Dole Whip on a rotating basis, or you can order a twist of any two flavors on that week’s menu as well as those same flavors in a Dole Whip float.
The secret to Dole Whip’s incredible popularity, says Hogsten, “is that it’s dairy-free, fat-free and gluten-free, but you would never know it because it has so much flavor.”
While Hogsten doesn’t make her own ice cream, choosing instead to partner with United Dairy Farmers in Ohio, she does make her own waffle cones, and has come up with some specialties of the house.
For starters, there’s the Boss Hogg which Hogsten compares to a Reese’s Cup Sundae.
“It’s three scoops of ice cream (customer’s choice), caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and a ton of Reese’s candies,” she says.
If that sounds too tame for you, you can always order the Squealin’ Sampler, where if you have the physicality of an American Ninja Warrior you can attempt to balance 20 mini scoops on a single cone or cup.
Kids in training for the Boss Hogg or the Squealin’ Sampler might want to start with the Little Hoggy, two scoops of ice cream garnished with a chocolate pig’s head.
Hogsten, ever creative in her marketing strategies, came up with the Hog Wild Challenge for those who consider themselves overachievers.
If you think you are one of them, you can fill a large bowl with 16 scoops of ice cream, eight dollops of whipped cream, eight cherries, hot fudge and caramel and four toppings of your choice. If you finish it in 45 minutes, you receive a Hoggy’s T-shirt and a picture in their Wall of Fame.
Alas, fail and your infamy will be recorded on the Wall of Shame located in the Men’s and Women’s restrooms. You’ve been warned.
Clever marketing and Dole Whip ice cream have succeeded in making Hoggy’s – if not the Happiest Place on Earth, certainly the Happiest Place in Frankfort. See for yourself during National Ice Cream Month.
