Popular Wilkes County Ice Cream Parlor Makes Sweet Move To Martinez

The popular ice cream parlor, Kettle Creek Creamery, is making a move into Columbia County.  The ice cream shop will host its Grand Opening this weekend at the new location. The address is 1030 West Lake Commons Drive, Suite 2, in Martinez. This is right beside the Furys Ferry Road entrance of the West Lake subdivision.

Kettle Creek Creamery got its start in Wilkes County back in 2021.  Their store opened up on the town square in Washington, Georgia, making homemade, hand-dipped sweets. It didn't take long for the ice cream shop to gain popularity with its hometown feel and an array of unique ice cream flavors.

The original owner was David Braithwaite. While originally from England, Braithwaite moved to Augusta with his parents in 1967. Once he retired, he moved his family to a farm in Washington, Georgia.  And in 2021, they opened Kettle Creek Creamery.

Unfortunately, Braithwaite passed away in 2022. But after his death, his family announced they would keep the business going.  Based on their Facebook page, the location on the square changed its name to "Washington Creamery" back in October 2023. It appears to have changed ownership as well. The new location in Martinez is owned by Carolyn Braithwaite-Jordan.

In response to a Facebook comment, Kettle Creek Creamery replied with this: "Hello! We sold our Washington shop to the amazing Scott and Meg Barnum. They now own the Washington Creamery and make amazing homemade ice cream and baked goodies! We have greatly missed our friends and family in Washington, but we needed to relocate our business closer to home."

As for the vision of Kettle Creek Creamery, owner Carolyn Braithwaite-Jordan shared this with us:

Braithwaite-Jordan is a pharmacist by trade. And she found a passion for the chemistry of making ice cream and the opportunities to create flavors that would normally not be available for Washington, GA families. Having both children and husband involved in the new family business is a continued goal for the new Augusta location.

The ice cream parlor serves a wide variety of delicious, creamy, homemade ice cream flavors.  In addition, you can also get milkshakes, sundaes, sorbet, and more.

Their products are characterized by homemade small-batch artisan ice cream. Small batches retain the freshness and flavor while handcrafted allows Kettle Creek the ability to create trending and unique flavors based on the season, local trends, and customer demand. They source fresh produce from local farms and merchants whenever possible. Their goal is to lower the amount of sugar, along with limiting or removing dyes and preservatives.

While the new location in Martinez officially opens on March 16, 2024, the Grand Opening is scheduled for this weekend. On Saturday, they'll be open from 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday, they'll be open 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Within the next 3-5 years, Kettle Creek Creamery wants to create an inclusive and safe work environment for young adults on the autism spectrum.  The rate of unemployment and underemployment in adults with autism is very high. Carolyn and her husband, Ben, have a child who is on the spectrum, and this drives their passion. Their personal experience in working with young adults on the spectrum makes them the ideal candidate to initiate this type of inclusive work environment.

The weather is warming up.  Kids are getting out of school.  Summertime is here in the Augusta area!  And while you can definitely enjoy ice cream year-round, there's just something about summer that makes it sweeter! It's a sweet treat that many people enjoy and there are so many options!  So when it comes to it, what are our favorite ice cream flavors?  We'll take a look below!

First of all, ice cream is BIG business!  An article from Stacker states ice cream makers churned out 1.38 billion gallons of ice cream.  This generated nearly 29,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in wagers. We've loved ice cream fo many years, keeping the manufacturers in business for more than 50 years, and counting.

There's so much to love about ice cream!  The delicious sweet treat can satisfy a sweet tooth.  It's great for cooling down on a hot day.  And let's not forget about its magical ability to mend a broken heart or help make a bad day better! You can top it with an endless assortment of toppings.  Although, the first decision is... what flavor to choose!

But with so many great flavor options to choose from, what are our favorite ice cream flavors?  A survey from YouGov asked adults about their favorite flavors... and vanilla and chocolate ranked high of course, but there are some other flavors that might surprise you in the top 10!