A Scoop of School Spirit

Ice cream and college pride may not seem like an obvious pairing, but Johnson & Wales University just proved otherwise. This fall, the culinary powerhouse teamed up with Green Line Apothecary to create a signature scoop that celebrates the Wildcat community in the sweetest way: Wild Berry Cheesecake with Lemon. The flavor swirls golden lemon cheesecake with vibrant wild blueberries, mirroring JWU’s iconic colors while delivering a taste that is anything but ordinary.

For Green Line co-founder and co-CEO Ken Procaccianti, the partnership was a natural fit. “Johnson & Wales is probably the preeminent culinary institution in the country, so what an honor it would be to create a food item for the leading institution for hospitality and culinary and baking and pastry arts,” he said. Ken and his wife, Christina, who co-founded Green Line, had worked with JWU in the past on catered events and internships, but this marks their first official flavor collaboration.

The recipe came to life after a spring campus-wide taste test. Students, faculty, and staff sampled two contenders: a Rhode Island–inspired “Wildcat Tracks” coffee ice cream with honeycomb chocolate crunch, and the wild blueberry cheesecake with lemon creation. The vote came down to the wire, but the cheesecake base studded with real Maine blueberries and ribbons of graham cracker crumble pulled ahead. “Fortunately there were not a lot of changes requested. We kind of nailed it,” Procaccianti admitted.

Like all Green Line flavors, the Wildcat ice cream starts from scratch in their Wakefield commissary kitchen with only natural ingredients. Procaccianti explained that the challenge was balancing the richness of cream cheese with the brightness of lemon while letting the wild blueberries shine. The result tastes indulgent yet refreshing. To ensure no Wildcat is left out, the team also created a vegan version that has quickly become a campus favorite.

Green Line has a history of transforming local favorites into iconic flavors. They turned Sweener’s butter crunch candy into a toffee-based ice cream, roasted bananas and graham crackers into a Bananagrams-inspired scoop, and dreamed up Candy Monster with Hasbro Children’s Hospital, donating a dollar from every pint to support patients and families. “We care about our community, and it just makes sense to partner with these other Rhode Island icons,” Procaccianti said.

The collaboration with JWU goes beyond the scoop. The university’s marketing team designed packaging with Green Line that proudly features the Wildcat head and school colors. Students can now find pints across Downcity and Harborside campus locations, and the flavor has already started spreading through Green Line’s wider distribution network.

For Procaccianti, the joy of the project extends far beyond dessert. “We want our customers and the JWU community to be able to feel good about the treat that they’re eating,” he said. Judging by the buzz around campus, Wildcats are happily trading late-night study stress for a spoonful of school spirit. For more information on Green Line Apothecary and where to purchase their ice cream, visit GreenLineApothecary.com. To learn more about Johnson & Wales University, visit experience.jwu.edu.