Tasty Story Behind Ventnor’s Peace Pie Ice Cream Sandwich

From Thanksgiving Mistake to Dessert Empire: The Story Behind Peace Pie. It all started with a Thanksgiving mistake.

The story of Peace Pie begins on Thanksgiving night 2010, in Woodstock, New York.

Founder Jerry Klause was in charge of making his family’s favorite dessert: pecan pie. Klause prepared the delicious filling but soon realized he had made a critical error—he had completely forgotten to make a pie crust.

Forced to think quickly, Klause came up with an ingenious solution. He baked two huge shortbread cookies and decided to turn pie a la mode into what he playfully called a “pecan pie lasagna.”

He layered the rich pie filling and vanilla ice cream between the two cookies.

The accidental creation was an absolute hit with his family and friends.

Klause, a serial entrepreneur, knew immediately—perhaps with a little help from a few post-dinner tequilas—that he had stumbled upon a genius dessert, and the idea for Peace Pie was born.

Peace Pie Ventnor: 7307 Ventnor Ave, Ventnor City, NJ

More Than Just an Ice Cream Sandwich

Few dessert pairings are as classic as a warm slice of pie with a cool scoop of ice cream. It’s a combination that feels timeless. But what if you could have both in a single, perfect bite?

That’s the simple genius behind Peace Pie, a company that revolutionized a classic treat by creating an ice cream sandwich with a luscious layer of pie filling.

Imagine a “Creme de la Creme Brûlée Peace Pie,” with its layer of toffee-crusted custard over homemade brown sugar ice cream, or a “Purple Rain Peace Pie,” featuring blueberry ice cream and chocolate mousse nestled between chocolate shortbread cookies.

While the dessert itself is an ingenious twist, the story behind its creation—a tale of happy accidents, shrewd patience, and family collaboration—is even more surprising.

The growth of Peace Pie is a genuine family affair.

After gaining a loyal following at farmers markets and local events across southern New Jersey, Klause opened the first brick-and-mortar Peace Pie store in Cape May on Memorial Day weekend in 2015.

Peace Pie is the perfect example of how a business can be born from a happy accident, grow through shrewd entrepreneurship, and thrive on deep family collaboration.

A Legacy of Delicious Accidents

The success was immediate, expansion followed, with each location run by a member of the Klause family.

• Charleston, South Carolina.
• Saint Augustine, Florida.
• Ventnor City.

That initial Thanksgiving mistake has blossomed into a beloved brand with over 40 rotating flavors, proving that the spirit of delicious invention is still going strong.