St. Michael Grad a State Fair Winner: 10,000 Licks Wins Competition

A will now see her dream of a salty, sweet ice cream confection come to reality. 

ended with sweet success, as her flavor becaem the inaugural winner. 

"It's gone so much farther than I could have imagined," she said Thursday, Aug. 26, from Machinery Hill, where Kemps was sampling the two flavors. "I kind of entered on a whim, and here we are."

Folkens came up with her creation–a vanilla ice cream with caramel, toffee bits and sea salt–when she was inspired by a candy she tried while camping with her family in Cross Lake.

Kemps opened up competition for its next ice cream flavor to the public for the first time in history in the spring of 2011. The result was the "Minnesota's Hometown Favorite" ice cream competition. The company used the site Kemps Next Flavor to collect hundreds of ideas from ice cream afficianados around Upper Midwest.

Folkens was able to go to Kemps offices prior to the fair and taste their version of her idea.

"I was really excited, and a little relieved," she said. "I was just hoping it was as good as I thought it could be. It's great."

Folkens' flavor topped the flavor "Pubhouse and Peanuts," a salty, chocolaty concotion of popcorn-flavored ice cream, dark chocolate and peanuts, created by Kelly Moritz of St. Paul.

She earned a check for $2,500 and a year's supply of her ice cream creation. She will see her flavor hit store shelves some time early next spring, with a March target date.