BUSINESS

Dole Whip soft-serve coming to downtown FWB

Heather Osbourne
hosbourne@nwfdailynews.com
The owners of Tasty Freeze 2.0 plan to open in mid-January. [NICK TOMECEK/DAILY NEWS]

FORT WALTON BEACH — A popular Walt Disney World frozen treat is rolling into Fort Walton Beach come January.

Dole Whip, a dairy-free soft-serve, will be sold out of a new food truck — Tasty Freeze 2.0 — on Brooks Street near the Fort Walton Landing Park by mid-January.

"Dole Whip has gained somewhat of a cult following in Disney World," said Kim Oglesby, co-owner of Tasty Freeze 2.0. "It's a soft serve ice cream, but it's not considered ice cream because it's dairy free, vegan and gluten free. It's kind of like a sherbet, but it's the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You wouldn't know the difference when you try it."

Kim Oglesby, alongside her husband Gene Oglesby, said they decided to open the food truck after visiting the Dole Plantation in Hawaii. The couple said they noticed a need for more dessert trucks in the area and thought Dole Whip would be the perfect product.

"I didn't understand why we didn't have anything like it down here," Kim Oglesby said. "We played around with the idea and eventually decided to do it."

Tasty Freeze 2.0 will sell the Dole Whip in two cup and cone sizes — $5 for a small and $7 for a large. There is also a kids cone for $2.50.

The Dole Whip original pineapple flavor will be served constantly at the truck, while orange, lime, mango, strawberry and lemon will rotate weekly. The Oglesbys will also have chocolate and vanilla dairy-free soft-serve full time, too.

"We also found some really delicious upside down cakes that come in individual packaging," Gene Oglesby said. "They are just to die for, so we'll be selling those. The same company sells strawberry cheesecake in single serving, so we'll also sell those. We'll have a variety of floats and Body Armor sports drinks."

The Oglesbys said they're signing a two-year lease to rent a parking lot on the north side of Brooks Street across from the Landing. The plan, they said, is to turn the parking lot into a mini food truck district. 

If Tasty Freeze 2.0 does well, Gene Oglesby said he also plans to open five more Dole Whip trucks in Navarre, Destin, 30A and on Okaloosa Island.

"I want to have them all along the Emerald Coast," Gene Oglesby said. "It all depends on how well the first location does. We've discovered there is a huge need for food trucks, like we said, so Kim is wanting to do a gourmet grill cheese trailer."

The Oglesbys said they plan to beautify the parking lot downtown by adding tropical trees, outdoor seating and bike racks. 

For more information visit Tasty Freeze 2.0 on Facebook or Instagram.