12/26/2024
Thank you for the write up Bob Meyers
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/zSZ3rhfcoTSZwRif/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Kernel Sweetooth Offers Positivity Through Popcorn and a Recipe to Enrich Happiness for Frankfort Community
Bob Meyers
Freelance Reporter
Any food-centric shop has the privilege to help people celebrate some of the most important moments of their lives. Popcorn enthusiasts, especially, cherish Kernel Sweetooth as a vital touchstone of the Frankfort community. Kernel Sweetooth, and the people who help the extraordinary destination run so eloquently, make the world a much better place. Kernel Sweetooth does their part to create positivity through popcorn and the very necessity to relish your sweet tooth. Kernel Sweetooth exists for the people of Frankfort, and all surrounding communities, to fill their sweet-quenching needs in a world that is increasingly in need of a little more magic and all-around positivity. What could be more enriching than this?
The warmth of freshly made popcorn and the smell of many delectable flavors often permeate Kernel Sweetooth. The delicious aroma of buttered popcorn, and a variety of flavorful additions swarm the senses with every visit and taste of sweet or savory goodness.
Popcorn is an essential companion to the cinematic experience. Its roasty, buttery aroma fills the lobby, a smell that’s both unmistakable and, often, core memory-inducing. A kernel smacks the side of a stainless-steel kettle, a hint of the percussive symphony to come. As a white, fluffy wave boils up, the contents are scooped into a tub and drizzled with real melted butter. And as you slide into a cushioned seat, the delicate puffs give way to a soft crunch. Kernel Sweetooth brings the sense of movie theater concessions to the Frankfort-helmed popcorn and sweet treat shop for the community to enjoy, without going to the multiplex and with an array of additional popcorn flavors and candies to choose from.
Owner Debbie Kovarik originally opened Kernel Sweetooth as a Tinley Park destination popcorn hotspot in 2005. Prior to opening her first shop, Kernel Sweetooth began as Farmer’s Market vendors. Kovarik says, “We probably started in, maybe, 2002 doing Farmer’s Markets, fairs, and festivals before opening the store.” The Kovarik family decided to open a storefront popcorn shop because they had amassed such a big following, which has continuously grown in the nearly two decades and counting since they first opened their doors.
The origin of the Kernel Sweetooth moniker was a joint effort between Kovarik and her daughter, Danielle Figura. Both Debbie and Danielle relayed the story during our interview. Kovarik details, “She and I were talking about the name. I said I wanted something catchy, something everyone will relate to. I wanted an iconic face similar to Colonel Sanders. I like the concept of ‘kernel’ with a K while simultaneously pinpointing a kernel of popcorn as well. Danielle came up with the ‘Sweetooth’ aspect of the name. Her husband, Bret, a Graphic Designer out of Moraine Valley Community College, conceptualized the iconic Kernel Sweetooth logo. With that, Danielle jokingly, asserts that since her husband painted the logo, she has more stake.
Kovarik deserves so much respect and praise. Not only have she and her husband, Gary, succeeded with such a great business, but Debbie managed the balance of owning what was then two stores with working full-time as a 9-1-1 operator, a job she did for 29 storied years. It was truly a team effort with Debbie, Gary, and their family. As they say, it takes a village.
When it came to opening a second Kernel Sweetooth location, Kovarik cements, “We opened across the street in the Trolley Barn in 2007, two years after we opened the Tinley location. I was working full-time as a 9-1-1 operator and my husband was trying to run both stores. It was crazy. We moved to our current location in the summer of 2018 and combined the two stores.” Being that Kernel Sweetooth has always been a family-run business, an adage to the joy at the shop is the fact that several of Debbie’s grandchildren have worked there from time-to-time, too.
Reflecting on the craziness of balancing two stores with what was then a full-time job as a 9-1-1 operator, Kovarik details, “Those were rough years because we had two stores and I was doing full-time twelve-hour working from 3am to 3am. I still don’t know how I did it. My husband will tell you that he probably threw out 500 pounds of corn because I was working midnights. I would sleep all day and he would be home making cheese corn. He would wait for me to get up and I would try it. I would give him my verdict. He would keep changing it and changing it until it was good.”
As far as popcorn flavors are concerned, all things started with kettle corn. Kettle corn would be popped in a huge kettle and served as a longtime signature at Kernel Sweetooth, which is still on the menu. “The guy that we would get the popcorn from suggested that we make some cheese corn. It was our recipe, but he would tell us where to get the cheese to use and things. So, we started experimenting with that. We decided to do more flavors and just kept going with it. It was kind of a demand thing, and we were excited about trying different flavors and found some recipes.”
Popcorn selections include the classic Kettle Corn, Cheddar, Chicago Mix, Cheesy Stickey, Caramel, Bacon, New Orleans, Ragin’ Cajun, and the sweet and salty combination for chocolate lovers, Chocolate Kiss. In addition to popcorn, they have nachos, soft pretzels, cotton candy made fresh in-house, a variety of novelty candies, a vast amount of ice cream spanning 30 flavors, and homemade waffle cones in chocolate or traditional. On top of all that, Kernel Sweetooth invites you to try their shakes, smoothies, or malt offerings. There are also 20 flavors and countless combinations of shaved ice that await the pleasure of your tastebuds.
Describing how inventive Kernel Sweetooth has been in terms of creating palatable treats that awaken the sweet lover in all of us, Kovarik recollects, “When we were in the Tinley store, we bought used cabinets from a bakery that went out of business. They had a bakery case that came with all the cabinets. We don’t bake. Then, we got the idea to do chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered Oreos, and that kind of thing. They all sold well at craft shows. So, we decided to fill it up with that kind of stuff. Today, they are popular.” Chocolate-dipped selections include the aforementioned Oreos and pretzels as well as Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, and Chocolate Turtles.
The opportunity to sell ice cream came about through happenstance. According to Kovarik, “We were approached by Hershey’s Ice Cream who said that they might want to put some ice cream in our store. I, honestly, was not going to do ice cream. I didn’t even think about ice cream. They have a wonderful program where they supply you with the freezers. So, they said they would supply the freezers. We put in a small one when we first opened. It was selling good, but we were very limited with flavors. Then, we added another one, and I couldn’t believe the difference. It was like we were the new ice cream shop in town or something.”
Things changed ever so slightly when Kernel Sweetooth came to Frankfort. “When we decided to buy a Frankfort location, the woman who sold it to us said she hoped we were going to keep Sherman’s Ice Cream. I said I was going to bring Hershey’s in. Her advice was, “Do whatever you want but, let me tell you, the people who live in Frankfort vacation in South Haven, Michigan.” South Haven is a charming beach town that radiates sunshine, lakeside ambiance, and the very home of the dairy that inhabits Sherman’s Ice Cream. A multitude of the easy to navigate shops in Downtown South Haven sell Sherman’s Ice Cream. The presence of Sherman’s Ice Cream offers locals and all consumers of Kernel Sweetooth an avenue of escapism to the beachfront paradise of South Haven for all who vacation there.
Kernel Sweetooth is still in the mix at many events throughout the summer and, more widely, the overall year. the car show in Lemont, the Frankfort Country Market in the morning and concerts in the evening every Sunday, and more. Kovarik elaborates, “We used to do lots of events, but we have cut back on those.”
Inquiring about adaptability in the winter, Kovarik and longtime Kernel employee Ashley Mosel detail the fun of a winter event known as Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness enables all the stores in Downtown Frankfort to remain open late. With every hour that ticks by as it gets later and later, there is a different sale going on. They both say that is incredibly fun. Kernel Sweetooth also has a lot of cookie orders in the wintertime as well. “Christmas gets really crazy. There are so many cookies and gift baskets. We do two Christmas Craft Shows set up by Ashley Mosel and her Matt McCauley, another longtime employee. Kovarik reveals a neat winter treat that set them apart from all the other local stores, too. “When Hot Chocolate Bombs first came out, we were the only store in the area doing them. My husband stood from the time the craze started for three weeks, Thanksgiving to Christmas, seven days a week, for twelve-hour days, making Hot Chocolate Bombs.”
Debbie Kovarik has immense pride serving the community of Frankfort, and is very appreciative that so many consider Kernel Sweetooth a key part of their daily life. “The Frankfort community has been very loyal to us. They never waiver with their support when it comes to events and going-on in town. We’ve been doing this for so long. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by. People come in here and say they’ve been coming here since they were little kids, and they’re now standing there holding their baby or two-year-old.”
The exterior within Kernel Sweetooth is vibrant and reminiscent of a movie theater’s concessions area and the shop exudes happiness for all in Frankfort and nearby communities. Kernel Sweetooth is the epitome of a palace to enlighten your scrumptious desires when it comes to edible sweet or savory pleasantries. Feel free to contact them for birthday party theme orders, custom cookie and popcorn orders, and delightful packages for private events. The Kovarik family and their employees are a beacon of light and all things good in the community.
Kernel Sweetooth provides all its consumers with a sincere recipe for happiness through the prism of popcorn and other sensational treats. It truly is a staple. Be sure to stop in for all of your popcorn and further confectionary delights, which are guaranteed to be pleasing to both sight and taste alike. Kernel Sweetooth can be found at 10 Elwood St., Frankfort. You can reach them by phone at 815-464-4466.
