Jeni’s 14th Street has been years in the making and we couldn’t be prouder to now call the nation’s capital home. On opening night, the line went down the street and around the block—but it’s never about the line. It’s about making new friends and coming together as a community over ice cream. Check out some of our favorite photos from our grand opening on 10/5/17. Music by Doc Robinson

Owned by fourth generation farmer Mike Hirsch, Hirsch Fruit Farm has been growing apples, pumpkins, and more for 125 years. An hour’s drive south of our kitchen, the farm grows pumpkins just for us. This year, our Pumpkin 5-Spice ice cream is a blend of two pumpkins: kabocha and buttercup. Kabocha squash is Asian in origin (kabocha means squash in Japanese), and has nutty, sweet flavor. It tastes sort of like a sweet potato married with a pie pumpkin. Buttercup is very similar in look—squat and dark green—but has a round ridge at the bottom. Freshly cut buttercups smell like a fragrant cucumber. But when roasted they become sweet and creamy.