There are few things in the world Philadelphian Sarah Keller loves more than a pint of Milk Jawn's delectable Troop Leader-flavor ice cream. So, when her boyfriend, Paul Kimball, planned to pop the question recently, he conspired with the brand's founder and CEO, Amy Wilson, to make the romantic event even more special.
“Oh my God, I was totally honored,” Wilson told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I thought it was amazing.”
Wilson and Kimball worked with the brand's design firm to create a custom pint that would look and feel like a conventional Milk Jawn product, except for a few key modifications.
Milk Jawn would be rebranded as "Wife Jawn" and the variety would be called "The Forever Flavor."
Ice cream played a vital role in the couple's courtship. After the their first dinner date back in February of 2021, Kimball told Keller that he needed to stop by his house to pick up something special for the second part of the date, which would take them to a nearby park.
It was a pint of Troop Leader, a creamy mix overflowing with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Keller had revealed her ice cream preference during an earlier online conversation.
“I thought it was incredibly sweet that he had picked up on the fact it was my favorite ice cream and he planned ahead,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was just one of the signs of his thoughtfulness, and an early sign of how wonderful he is.”
On August 14, Kimball had the professionally designed pint container of Wife Jawn stowed away in a backpack during the couple's romantic getaway to Sea Isle City Beach, just south of Ocean City, NJ. Kimball had requested an empty container because he knew the ice cream wouldn't survive the beach day and because he wanted to save it as a keepsake.
After several hours at the shore, Kimball told his girlfriend that he had brought along some ice cream. Sarah shot back that there's no way ice cream could have stayed frozen in a backpack for that long.
“I pulled out the pint and handed it to her," he said, "and while she was reading [the label], I used it as a distraction get down on one knee to propose.”
Keller was overwhelmed with emotion as her boyfriend presented her with an oval diamond mounted on a simple gold band.
"I looked down and he was kneeling in front of me with his cute little face holding the ring,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He said some sweet things to me, I don’t remember what they were, and then he asked me to marry him.”
Of course, she said, "Yes" — even though the container was empty.
On its Instagram page, Milk Jawn told the romantic story and posted pics of the custom ice cream container and the newly engaged couple.
“It’s our most-liked post out of everything we’ve ever posted,” Wilson said.
Although the wedding date and venue have yet to be determined, Keller is certain about one thing: Ice cream has to be on the menu.
“And if it can be Milk Jawn, all the better,” she said.
Established in Wilson's kitchen back in 2012, Milk Jawn has grown into a Philadelphia-area favorite. The delicacy is made Philly-style (without eggs), using local Pennsylvania dairy products.
The word "jawn," if you were wondering, is Philadelphia slang for literally anything. The noun can stand in for objects, places, people and events. As the website guidetophilly.com explained, "jawn can mean nothing and everything."
Credits: Images via Instagram.com / milkjawn; Instagram.com / kellahhhhhandpaul.kimball.
