SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A new ice cream food truck is looking to bring a new style of dessert to the Ozarks.

On July 15, Swirly’s Ice Cream & Waffles soft opened its doors to a hungry crowd at the Parkcrest Center parking lot on 3867 S. Campbell Ave. They plan to do their grand opening in early August.

“This is special. It’s different,” said Jack Powderly who co-owns Swirly’s with his wife Kenzie. While celebrating their anniversary, Kenzie tried a dessert dish from a place called Trash Creamery in Arkansas. The dessert left a big enough impression that the Powderlys decided to bring the ice cream dish to Springfield.

Swirly’s has a school theme to their product. Small, medium and large are now referred to as Freshman, Senior and Super Senior respectively. The 11 signature flavors are named after various types of students, such as:

  • THE CLASS CLOWN – Strawberry, Pretzel, Cheesecake, Sprinkles, Cherry
  • THE EMO KID – Cocoa Puffs, Mint Fudge Chip, Brownie, Chocolate Sauce
  • THE STARTING QUARTERBACK – Honey Bunches of Oats, Butterfinger, Banana, Peanut Butter Drizzle

“We’re giving you a swirly, pun intended,” said Powderly. The company logo features a child with their hair twisted up in the air like they were a victim of the classic toilet prank but also resembles an ice cream soft serve.

Powderly says there are three things that make their ice cream stand out. The first thing is consistency.

“You’re going to taste what we put in there and it’s going to be from the very first bite, the very last bite,” said Powderly. He says most ice cream concretes are mixed where you still see the toppings separated from the ice cream. Swirly’s claims to be able to completely infuse the ingredients together so you have a consistent meal.

He says that presentation is the next thing to make them stand out.

“We’re going to really work on making this something that’s not only tasty but something that really looks appetizing.”

The final thing that makes Swirly’s stand out is their bubble waffles.

“So at first it’s warm, it’s fluffy, it’s crispy, and… you can bite into it, you can rip it off… There’s no wrong way to eat a bubble waffle Swirly,” said Powderly. He describes the waffle as an eating experience. “At the end, it’s kind of like… french toast that will taste like your swirly.”

For more information and business hours, check out Swirly’s Facebook page.