Jenna Lou's Homemade Ice Cream huge hit

MARIETTA — Not many young people are entrepreneurs while still juggling college, but Jenna Spangler is.

A graduate of Bushnell-Prairie City High School, living in Marietta, she is currently a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Food Science and Human Nutrition with a concentration in Hospitality Management.

When not hitting the books, she may be found making and selling ice cream, marketed as Jenna Lou’s Homemade Ice Cream.

What started out as a fundraiser has become her business, “I started making ice cream as a mission trip fundraiser. It immediately took off with great response from the community. Then I was in the McDonough County CEO Program my junior year of high school, attended Scoop School my senior year, and decided to make it a career!,” said Spangler.

The flavors of ice cream she makes vary and include the traditional (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc.), but there are also her own signature flavors such as Vanilla Honey made with Hilltop Harmony Honey grown by Paula Helle, Ellisville.

Another flavor off the beaten path she recently offered was The Grandma Pint.

It combined two of her favorites from her grandmothers; Sharon Spangler’s homemade hot fudge sauce and Kathy Heikes’s vanilla and chocolate cake.

How does she come up with the various interesting flavors?

“I’ve always loved food, cooking and baking. Designing flavors comes pretty naturally to me! I’m often inspired by different things I’ve eaten or experience and take a lot of customer feedback/suggestions,” she said.

As she prepares to head back to college, she will be holding her last pop up for now—Jenna Lou’s Last Chance—in Bushnell at the VFW Park beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 11.

If you plan on checking it out, be warned, she sells out quickly, sometimes in as little as 15 minutes.

She will also have homemade ice cream at the State Fair, Friday, behind the junior barn back drop beginning at noon.

If supplies last, she’ll have ice cream Saturday, again, at the State Fair.

Spangler said she wouldn’t be able to pursue this on her own, “I have my community, mentors, friends and family to thank for their ongoing support of my business.”

For additional information, follow her Facebook page, Jenna Lou’s Homemade Ice Cream.