JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – New Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson wants to make one thing clear: He loves ice cream.
“I’ve always just been a go-to vanilla guy,” he said during a News4JAX interview the day he was introduced as coach in February. “I am not a flashy [with] all these different flavors and colors and everything. I just want plain vanilla.”
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence got the message before his new head coach was introduced. He tweeted a video on Feb. 4 showing Pederson’s sweet tooth for ice cream.
Lawrence had a surprise for his coach the next day. He delivered ice cream ahead of the introductory press conference.
Y’all… 🥲🍦 https://t.co/4vBTPwTltj pic.twitter.com/UBxXXfj9mL
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 5, 2022
“I will put on the hot fudge or the chocolate or the caramel, the bananas, the strawberries,” Pederson said. “I’ll put all that stuff on it but just give me a straight bowl of ice cream.”
News4JAX stopped by Bruster’s Real Ice Cream shop on Atlantic Boulevard where owner Kathy Devenny says vanilla is their most popular flavor.
The staff makes fresh vanilla ice cream every day. A batch takes about 12 minutes.
“It is our most popular flavor because it is featured in so many sundaes,” Devenny said.
Customers like Matt Jensen and Sharice Thomas understand coach Pederson’s stance but have their own preferences as well.
“I love the sundaes,” Jensen said. “The brownie sundaes are amazing. I love chocolate. So the brownies are really good and just the ice cream and everything on top. [I add] a little hot fudge. It is a good topper.”
“She likes the chocolate with sprinkles, and he likes the vanilla with sprinkles,” said Thomas who treated her niece and nephew to a few scoops. “I think the peanut butter truffle [is my favorite]. I love the peanut butter one.”
Devenny and her staff are preparing special options ahead of Thursday night’s draft.
“We are going to have some teal and black sprinkles for any of the sundaes,” Devenny said. “You are going to pile up on vanilla because who knows, it might be everybody’s pregame ritual like Doug Pederson’s.”