![\"Kente](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_7066.jpeg\")
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Kente Cones in East New York is a Black-owned small business that provides educational food experiences.<\/p>\n
Photo courtesy of Ashley Marrero<\/p>\n
When Ashley Marrero, founder and owner of Kente Cones<\/a>, opened her first brick-and-mortar location in East New York<\/a> on Juneteenth, she never imagined the shop would so quickly become what she now calls \u201ca safe space for the community.\u201d But the path to that moment began years before the storefront opened its doors.<\/p>\n Kente Cones is an Afro-American\u2013inspired ice cream shop that offers what Marrero describes as educational food experiences. \u201cKente\u201d \u2014 referring to a \u201ctime-consuming\u201d Ghanaian textile dating back to the 11th century \u2014 reflects the handmade, natural-ingredient ice cream products Marrero creates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started in 2022 and were vending at different pop-up events throughout Brooklyn,\u201d Marrero told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cWe were even traveling to Philadelphia and New Jersey \u2014 it was phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n For two summers, Kente Cones set up outside a Fort Greene food market \u2014 an opportunity Marrero described as \u201cpivotal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe made a lot of connections there that opened more doors and led to meeting new customers,\u201d she said. But life shifted in 2023 when Marrero had a baby. While she briefly stepped back, her business partner kept Kente Cones active at school events, art galleries and other private bookings.<\/p>\n Then came the turning point she never expected: the location of her first permanent shop found her. With the help of Assembly Member Nikki Lucas, whom Marrero called the \u201cleader\u201d in the process, she secured a home for Kente Cones.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh my gosh. I don\u2019t know if I will ever have this opportunity again.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n Since its opening in June, Marrero said community support has been overwhelming. As the only ice cream shop in the area, she said it draws guests who often stop by without knowing it\u2019s there.\n<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just any ice cream shop. Kente Cones sources natural ingredients, including many from Africa \u2014 something new and refreshing in a neighborhood saturated with fast food options, Marrero said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a breath of fresh air,\u201d she added. \u201cWe deserve it. And we needed it. It\u2019s been a safe space for so many of my customers.\u201d Some come in simply for comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have people come in and they\u2019re just having a bad day, and say \u2018Yo Ash, I just need to talk, I need a scoop of ice cream,\u2019\u201d Marrero said.\n<\/p>\n Beyond taste, Kente Cones offers something more: education. Nearly every flavor connects to Africa or Afro-American history.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important to highlight the accomplishments of our ancestors, because we don\u2019t shine enough light on them, especially in the education system,\u201d Marrero said. \u201cIf it\u2019s not taught at home, they may not know it at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She wants every scoop to spark curiosity, saying it \u201cbecomes a fun thing to take pride in.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bigger than ice cream,\u201d Marrero said.\n<\/p>\n One of Kente Cones\u2019 most popular flavors, \u201cGranny\u2019s Favorite,\u201d a butter pecan scoop, comes with a story that surprises many customers.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Jim Crow South, Black people were not allowed to eat vanilla ice cream because it was considered \u2018pure white,\u2019\u201d she explained. \u201cSo I call that flavor \u2018Granny\u2019s Favorite\u2019 because Granny put pecans in there, and it was no longer white. That way, we can enjoy it whenever we want.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s one of her best-selling flavors \u2014 and one of her most important educational tools. Other flavors recognize former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the founders of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, and the Ashanti Kingdom in West Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people are shocked, and I tell them to look it up!\u201d Marrero said. \u201cI am telling you things they just don\u2019t teach us.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The ice cream aficionado said parents have embraced the learning-through-dessert approach. Their support has connected her with local schools, where she brings both ice cream and representation.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOnce they have their ice cream and I tell them I make it, it is just so fulfilling,\u201d Marrero said. With her storefront now thriving, Marrero has plans far beyond East New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want to do wholesale where I\u2019m in retail stores and have several locations as well,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n But her biggest dream is a chain of immersive cultural spaces.\n<\/p>\n \u201cEach location will have a museum vibe, with QR codes that go to the history and more information while you\u2019re enjoying your ice cream.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n And ultimately? \u201cI want it to be a household name.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n For now, Marrero keeps her message simple: \u201cStay tuned.\u201d Kente Cones, it seems, is just getting started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kente Cones in East New York is a Black-owned small business that provides educational food experiences. 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\n![\"Kente](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_7053.jpeg\")
After years of operating as a pop-up business, owner Ashley Marrero opened Kente Cones\u2019 first permanent location in June.Photo courtesy of Ashley Marrero\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"Kente](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_7057.jpeg\")
Marrero told Brooklyn Paper that community support of the location has been \u201coverwhelming,\u201d and has become a community space.Photo courtesy of Ashley Marrero\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"Kente](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_7052.jpeg\")
Marrero aims to create cultural spaces for people who haven\u2019t been exposed to many Afro-American stories.Photo courtesy of Ashley Marrero\n<\/p>\n