At Penn State, ice cream is synonymous with the on-campus Berkey Creamery, which produces more than 120 ice cream flavors, many of them unique to the University. Last year, marked the Creamery’s 150th anniversary. To celebrate, the Creamery created a new flavor, Birthday Bash, and an ice cream passport to allow customers to track which flavors they have tried.
This year’s offerings at the Festival of the Arts will include several seasonally available flavors, including Alumni Swirl, Toasted Almond Fudge, Teaberry and Goo Goo Cluster. The Creamery will scoop its famous flavors in its on-campus store as well as in a tent near the Willard Building during the festival. Half gallons and other products also will be available in the store.
In addition to special flavors, the Creamery will promote an ongoing fundraising initiative, the Philip G. Keeney Food Science Department Head Excellence Fund. Proceeds from the endowment can be used at the discretion of the department head to support programs and new initiatives in food science research, extension and teaching.
The fund was named in honor of Philip Keeney, professor emeritus of food science, who helped establish the department and who is best known for his expertise on ice cream and chocolate. Keeney, once called the "Emperor of Ice Cream" by People magazine, is also the namesake of the Creamery’s beloved Keeney Beany Chocolate ice cream flavor.
The fund was established in 2014 with a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor. The anonymous donor also promised to match donations to the fund up to an additional $1 million. If the fundraising goal of $3 million total is met, the chair of the department will be named the Philip G. Keeney Food Science Department Head, which would be the first endowed department head in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Donations to the fund can be made online, by contacting Mark Theiss at 814-863-1168 or mjt118@psu.edu, or by purchasing magnets or Keeney Beany Chocolate half gallons at the Creamery or online.