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In a country known for its traditional desserts, an American expat is stirring up the Dutch ice cream scene one scoop at a time, with some calling it the best ice cream in Amsterdam.
Nekeia Boone, founder of Tudy’s Kitchen, is an audacious entrepreneur who dares to be different in a world of vanilla and chocolate.
Boone’s background is far from typical for a food entrepreneur. With a degree in sociology from California State University, Long Beach, she spent two decades in the corporate industry, working in advertising, marketing and technology.
In 2009, her career took her from the bustling streets of New York to the canals of Amsterdam, where she landed a role at Booking.com and quickly rose through the ranks to become a senior UX manager.
“My first masterclass in creativity and flavor took place in Grandma Tudy’s kitchen,” says Boone. “With every scoop of ice cream we serve, I’m sharing a piece of that magic with the world.”
When Life Changes, Make Ice Cream
The COVID-19 pandemic became an unexpected turning point for Boone. Grappling with corporate burnout and personal grief, she found comfort in creating ice cream flavors at home. This therapeutic hobby unexpectedly evolved into a viable business concept, producing some of the best ice cream in Amsterdam that some have ever tasted.
“With so much down time during the pandemic, I started seeing everyday foods as potential ice cream flavors,” Boone recalls. “Suddenly, the world was full of delicious possibilities.”
After months of business planning and recipe testing, Boone opened Tudy’s Kitchen in 2021. The transition from technology to artisanal ice cream developer was not without its challenges.
She had to navigate a new industry, learn about food production and build a brand from scratch. Luckily, Boone was able to apply the same data-driven approach to flavor development as she did as a UX copywriter.
“My tech background taught me the importance of iteration and user experience,” Boone says. “With ice cream, the user experience in this case is all about texture and delighting my customers with flavors they least expect.”
A Scoop of Culture is Key Ingredient to the Best Ice Cream in Amsterdam
The inspiration behind Tudy’s Kitchen runs deeper than clever branding. The business is a heartfelt tribute to Boone’s culinary roots.
Named after her grandmother, affectionately called Grandma Tudy, the brand embodies the spirit of creativity, resourcefulness, and love that filled her childhood kitchen.
“My first masterclass in creativity and flavor took place in Grandma Tudy’s kitchen,” says Boone. “With every scoop of ice cream we serve, I’m sharing a piece of that magic with the world.”
The varied menu at Tudy’s Kitchen showcases Boone’s culinary ingenuity. Drawing from her grandmother’s cooking, traditional Black American dishes, international cuisines and even cocktails, she has developed a menu of over 50 rotating flavors, each with its own unique story.
Some of her current flavor offerings include:
- Chicken + Waffles: Sweet maple ice cream with waffle chunks and crispy chicken skins
- Salty Vanilla Bean: Classic vanilla bean elevated with a touch of fleur de sel
- Frosé 0%: Vegan and non-alcoholic rosé sangria sorbet featuring wine-soaked fruits and lemon
- Sage Brown Butter Cookie Dough: Rich brown butter and fresh sage-infused ice cream with chunks of sage-infused cookie dough
- Roasted Balsamic Blueberry with Honey Goat Cheese: Tangy-sweet blueberry compote swirled through creamy honey goat cheese ice cream
- Sexual Chocolate: Dark milk chocolate ice cream studded with crispy bacon strips
“I love that so many people in the Netherlands who have never heard of chicken and waffles are obsessed with the actual ice cream flavor,” says Boone about the success of having the best ice cream in Amsterdam that melds culture and flavor.
Among the ice cream shop’s array of unique flavors, Sage Brown Butter Cookie has also become a standout success. This bestseller emerged from Boone’s interest in incorporating savory elements into desserts.
She first developed a sage-infused cookie and seamlessly melded it with a creamy ice cream foundation.
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From Small Batch to Dutch Sensation
The innovative flavors served at Tudy’s Kitchen have won over more than just local customers. The summer of 2024 marked a milestone for the company as it joined forces with Albert Heijn, the Netherlands’ largest and oldest supermarket chain.
This partnership expanded Boone’s ice cream brand from its single location to over 1,000 stores nationwide, signaling a major leap in distribution, visibility, and recognition as some of the best ice cream in Amsterdam.
“I was fortunate to connect with Albert Heijn,” explains Boone. “This retailer is not just about mass production. They actively sought me out due to our unique concepts and are committed to maintaining the integrity of artisanal brands like mine.”
Boone’s ambitions for Tudy’s Kitchen extend past commercial success. She is keenly aware of her role in increasing diversity in the food industry, noting that her business is among the few Black-owned businesses featured in Albert Heijn stores and the retailer’s first Black-owned ice cream brand.
The rapid growth of Tudy’s Kitchen has Boone setting her sights even higher. Armed with a repertoire of 105 potential new flavors and counting, she continues to push the boundaries of what ice cream can be.
Her expansion strategy as the flavor creator of the best ice cream in Amsterdam encompasses both a southern European foray and a homecoming to her home city of New York.
“Once Tudy’s kitchen is available throughout Europe, then we’ll take over America.”
For more information on Tudy’s Kitchen, visit the website or follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook.
