Taylor Belle’s expanding: Where to find this hot Kentucky ice cream, famous soft serve

What was your dream at age 15?

Some young women in their mid-teens might be thinking about their body-image, the latest trend, or perhaps music or dating. That was not the case with Taylor Cook.

At age 15, Taylor had her eye on the future — and the future for her was ice cream.

Like many of us, she loved eating ice cream growing up. Her favorite flavor: Cookies and cream.

“It was my dream as a little girl to have my own ice cream business,” Taylor says. “As a kid, we would eat ice cream all of the time.”

However, Taylor didn’t just enjoy an occasional cone or bowl of ice cream like most of us. She loved it so much in fact, she went into the ice cream business, yes, at the age of 15 in 2015.

Now her Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream is served at University of Kentucky sporting events in Rupp Arena and, new this year, at Kroger Field.

At 23, Taylor Cook’s budding empire includes ice cream and food trucks, a processing facility and a restaurant and employs dozens of people, including her whole family.

How Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream began

In 2015, before she was even old enough to obtain her driver’s license, she turned a dream into a reality—and eventually into a burgeoning full-time business—through a Future Farmers of America project that would launch Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream — a mashup business name blending Taylor for herself, and Annabelle, for her younger sister, her business partner.

While a freshman at Anderson County High School, Taylor needed an idea for a Supervised Agricultural Experience project for FFA. These projects are intended to help students discover potential career options.

She approached her parents, John and Amanda, with her project idea ... to make and sell ice cream.

Her father had also been an FFAmember in his younger days and Mom and Dad quickly scooped up the idea and provided a loan to fund her project and launch the business, allowing Taylor to make payments to pay them back. Which she did within mere months.

Today, they both work for her.

She launched the operation with one food truck at a local event with a crew of four —herself, her then 11-year-old sister Annabelle, mom Amanda, and Taylor’s Nana. Selling premium hand-packed ice cream at concerts, festivals, fundraisers, and other events around Frankfort, the business began to grow quickly.

Success is a family affair

Today, the combined fleet consists of seven mobile units: three ice cream trailers, two ice cream trucks, and one food truck and one food trailer.

“Dad quit his job five years ago to come to work for us as our COO and Mom is our CFO,” Taylor says proudly. “Mom works a lot of late hours and never gets enough credit. We wouldn’t be here without her.”

Taylor is CEO, and sister Annabelle, 18, is the CEO of Taylor Belle’s & Burgers restaurant in Lawrenceburg which opened in 2023. Taylor’s FFA jacket hangs on display on the wall inside the restaurant.

Annabelle also coordinates the mobile units and is impressive in her own right, following in Taylor’s business success footsteps.

The Cook sisters’ operation has 37 full-time and 32 part-time employees and manufactures the popular and tasty ice cream out of a production facility located on a 50-acre farm in Frankfort.

How has she splurged with all of her achievements?

“I built a house. That’s the only thing I’ve done,” she says, matter of fact. “Practical things ... and I bought a truck three years ago.”

Cookies & Cream is the top seller in the company’s line of 26 standard flavors and 12 rotating flavors of the month. Kids love the “Super Belle” flavor that includes a blend of vanilla, cherry, and cotton candy. “Taylor’s Delight” is also popular, consisting of chocolate ice cream, brownie pieces, chocolate chips, and fudge swirl.

“It appeals to chocolate lovers for sure,” Taylor notes with a laugh.

Taylor Belle’s also now sells Rupp soft-serve

Taylor Belle’s also sells the famed soft-serve ice cream that has a cult-like following at Lexington’s historic Rupp Arena where it is offered at concession stands in choice of vanilla, chocolate or a swirl of both.

At any given University of Kentucky men’s home basketball game, thousands of soft-serve ice cream cones are sold, even when the temperature outside the arena drops well below freezing.

ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas is notorious for his fondness for it whenever he is part of the sports network’s broadcast team for games at Rupp — going as far as to declare it on X in 2023, “ Best ice cream in America!! ”

A FOX Sports reporter visiting Rupp Arena, who was amazed at the number of people standing in line, waiting on the concourse to purchase the soft-serve, once asked, “ does it have special healing powers? ”

Count Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope and the U.K. men’s and women’s basketball teams among those who have been known to also enjoy the wildly popular frozen dessert. Coaches and players were recently captured in photos posted on Facebook enjoying “post-practice ice cream” and also on video defending their respective choice of cup or a cone .

This season, Kentucky football fans are also lining up to purchase it at Kroger Field where it is now being sold outside of section 19 for the first time, much to the delight of many in Big Blue Nation. “Sports Illustrated” even reported that “breaking news.”

Central Kentucky’s soccer fans will get a kick out of the news that Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream will also be sold at all home games at the new Lexington Sporting Club Soccer Stadium.

Taylor Cook, businesswoman

When the Frankfort-native is not focused on growing her Kentucky Proud -certified ice cream business, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.

While running the fast-growing business, Taylor has also managed to obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky University, graduating in December of 2023.

Her simple motto, on her business cards: “Life is like ice cream. Enjoy it before it melts.”

Earlier this year, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Kentucky Chapter, awarded her the NEXT-GEN Woman Business Owner of the Year award for female entrepreneurship at their 2024 EPIC Awards (“Empowering Potential, Inspiring Change.”) The award recognizes exceptional young entrepreneurs who have successfully launched and actively manage a business.

She has also been honored by the Kentucky House of Representatives with a Citation of Achievement for her remarkable accomplishments.

A sweet legacy indeed.

Where to find Taylor Belle’s Ice Cream

In addition to partnerships with three different colleges — University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and Midway University — Taylor Belle’s is available at these locations:

• Baptist Health Hospitals

• Central Bank Center Convention Center

• Churchill Downs infield for Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby days

• Cornett’s Farm Fresh Café and Market in London

• Critchfield Meats

• KS Bar & Grille

• Kentucky Y’all Icebox in Williamstown

• Lexington Legends Baseball Games

• Lexington Sporting Club Soccer Games

• Malone’s restaurants

• Rupp Arena (U.K. basketball games, concerts, other events)

• Thunder over Louisville

• University of Kentucky The 90 Dining Hall

• University of Kentucky baseball games at Kentucky Proud Park

• University of Kentucky football games at Kroger Field

• University of Kentucky softball games at John Cropp Stadium

• Various festivals across Kentucky

• Various fairs across Kentucky

Taylor Belle’s & Burgers Restaurant

Where: 1066 Glensboro Rd., Lawrenceburg

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Closed Sunday, Monday.

Phone: (502) 353-4321

Online: taylorbellesicecream.com , facebook.com/taylorbellesicecream/ , instagram.com/taylorbelles_icecream/

Rob Bolson is a freelance writer residing in Lexington, Kentucky, who writes about food and culture. Follow him on Instagram at @robbiebolson .

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