David and Mary met while in college at Columbia, Missouri, and ice cream would follow them through their relationship. They both put in time behind the counter and in the kitchen of Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream, a one-in-a-million parlor renowned for its collection of weird paintings and yarn animals as well as for its wonderful flavors. An early co-creation of theirs was Lavender Honey, a flavor they made on a whim that went on to become a longstanding local favorite. 

After graduating, Mary went into newsrooms and offices while David went further into kitchens, making ice cream and baking breads and pastries. Family connections brought them to Kansas City, where they put long held plans into action, finding an empty storefront in Waldo not far from where Mary grew up. Mary gave birth to their first child on the same week they signed the lease in Waldo, and from there they added an Ice Cream Truck, another baby, and a second shop, in KC's River Market district. 

Betty Rae was David's grandmother, a great lady and phenomenal cook who had a taste for the sweeter side of life. Her spirit of invention, of preparing great food for good friends and of making room for fun will live on in Betty Rae's Ice Cream!