On a quiet corner of Philadelphia’s Italian Market lies a tiny brick shop, its two red doors propped open to the public. JOHN’S is emblazoned at the top and a long line of people have already begun to line up. Some customers boldly approach the window with orders ready–to–go while others slip out of line to peak at the water ice, ice cream, and gelati options plastered out front. Little children tightly grasp their filled Dixie Cups. Alongside them, adults savor every lick and spoonful of the passed–down water ice recipe in the sweltering heat, lingering into the late hours of the night as they’ve done for generations.
For over eight decades, John’s Water Ice has remained one of the most popular and loved summer classics of the city. Knowing exactly what the community needed, a man named John Cardullo, the company’s founder, opened up the first shop in the Italian Market at Seventh and Christian streets in 1945. Having emigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s, Cardullo began a business in heating oil and coal in the United States. Wanting to enter a new field in the summer months when people weren’t using their home heating systems, water ice became his speciality. In the winter, Cardullo kept the cold out of homes, but in the summer, he brought the cold right back to delight many in the heat of Philadelphia.
“Water, sugar, and fresh fruit.” These are the three items that John Cardullo’s grandson and current owner of John’s Water Ice, Anthony Cardullo, describes as the only ingredients ever used in creating the recipe. Working at the shop since the age of 8, Cardullo has been in the store seven days a week, learning how to prep, make flavors, and run the business from his father. While he made sure to keep the family traditions, he also worked on expanding the menu through the years, bringing new flavors to the customers. “Lemon, cherry, chocolate, and pineapple were the original water ice flavors until I added strawberry in 1999 and mango a couple years later,” explains Cardullo.
His innovations didn’t stop there. Other flavors that appear seasonally on the menu include peach, piña colada, honeydew, cantaloupe, and banana. A combination of creative thinking and community member requests, some flavors may even end up earning a permanent spot on the menu. “But the most popular flavors have to be lemon and cherry,” Cardullo notes, recalling the original flavors.
The start of Cardullo’s tenure marked the beginning of John’s Water Ice’s steady expansion. Now with seven locations, John Cardullo’s shows no signs of stopping. “It started with two trucks, then 7th and Oregon had a new location, went to 18th and Callowhill, Huntingdon Valley, and Wildwood,” he lists as he explains the steady growth of ice cream shops in the area.
The old–school recipe hasn’t changed since expanding from the Seventh and Christian streets location, but the neighborhood and John Cardullo’s Italian American legacy keeps evolving. Once an “old Italian neighborhood” now a bustling hot spot for visitors, the area is slowly diversifying with new faces and families. The brand also continues to grow as Anthony Cardullo brings it to wheels, launching John’s Water Ice trucks to take it beyond the Italian Market and into other communities.
“We love it. Water ice is something we’ve been doing our entire life and we are really starting to get noticed for that,” Cardullo explains. Not wrong—their Instagram is proof. With videos garnering up to 133,000 views and a following of almost 12,000 users, John’s Water Ice is truly a Philadelphia treasure gaining traction.
Indeed, that success hasn’t come without challenges. Cardullo took over the business at the age of 18, after his father’s passing. By then, Cardullo had been taught the nuts and bolts to keep the machine oiled and the business running. Some of the recurring challenges and hurdles the water ice business encounters are finding staff to work and train and machinery at risk of overheating and breaking down. More important, the biggest focus is ensuring that each John’s location stays true to the same quality and service. “It’s a challenge, because I try to control consistency,” Cardullo admits. “But so far so good. We’ve been getting it done.”
As they expand and attempt to maintain the same quality, Cardullo family members help and manage other branches of the business, ensuring that new staff members are given thorough training. “We teach everybody and we don’t leave anybody on their own to manage the stores until we are confident they can handle it,” Cardullo explains. Despite the occasional bumps along the way, and a couple of unsuccessful locations in the past, John’s always stays open to the public, even in stormy weather.
Running a family business like John’s means juggling endless behind–the–scenes work. “Not every day is the same. Some days we wake up and buy supplies,” Cardullo says. He can be found driving to Jetro or Restaurant Depot to grab almost 2,500 pounds of sugar to last them a couple weeks, or picking up their fruit delivery at Anatasio’s on Ninth Street. All depending on the customer flow and daily demands. “Once everything’s sorted, it’s just me processing fruit every day.”
It’s not just water ice keeping them busy. John’s is also popular for their sought–after ice cream—which rose as per customers’ request in 1977—with flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and specials such as raspberry chocolate chip, coffee chocolate chip, butter pecan, and bananas foster, developed through careful partnership with trusted suppliers. While the collaboration with their supplier has led to many successful flavors, they had also experimented with fruits which weren’t able to keep their spot on the front board. For instance, kiwi (used for water ice), although a delicious flavor, was too expensive and had to be removed from the lineup.
The adventure isn’t over for John’s. With two new locations set to open within the next year and four more Jersey Shore spots in the works, their legacy expands to bring delight and cool to many more ice cream lovers and passersby. “Next week we are going to look at Northern Liberties and Fishtown properties to open next year. Under contract, we also have four more shore locations to come,” he notes when prompted about potential expansions.Margate, Ocean City, Cape May and an additional Wildwood location—all in N.J.—are all set on the horizon for this family–owned business.
As the sun begins to set on the corner of Seventh and Christian streets, I leave with a smile on my face having walked into what feels like home. I savor each water ice flavor they have to offer, appreciating its fresh taste. Cardullo returns to his affairs as I walk past the trailing line of people waiting to experience what has now become my favorite treat in the neighborhood—and clearly has been theirs, too.
