Kernel’s Gourmet Popcorn brings award-winning flavors to Sycamore, Geneva & Naperville

Dann Villwock and his treat shop, Kernels Gourmet Popcorn & More, may be new to the Sycamore community.

But as Dann Villwock tells it, the relationship between his treat shops and the Sycamore community has almost always been popping.

“We’ve had strong support from Sycamore for a long time,” said Villwock. “We’ve had very loyal customers who would drive from Sycamore down to Geneva, regularly. So, we knew this was going to be a great fit.”

In the fall of 2024, Villwock and his family launched the latest installment in their growing chain of Kernels popcorn and candy shops (the third location), this time just off the well-traveled intersection of Peace Road and DeKalb Avenue (Route 23) in Sycamore.

The Kernels story began more than two decades ago in Geneva. At that time, Villwock, a former options trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, decided to leave behind the world of finance for a chance at a fluffier – and tastier – future.

Villwock said the idea arose from his lifelong passion for popcorn.

“I just love popcorn,” he said. “Always have.”

As they prepared for the big transition, Villwock said he and his family spent nearly a year trying all different types of popcorn at home. They then took their work to the manufacturer of popcorn machines, where they fine-tuned the recipes in a test kitchen.

“It’s funny, but the taste can be just so different when you’re popping and making these at home instead of in a commercial setting,” Villwock said. “It takes some time sometimes to get it right.”

But get it right, they did, Villwock said. In March 2003, Villwock and his former business partners opened the doors at a 400-square-foot shop in Geneva they called Kernel Fabyan’s Gourmet Popcorn. The name was a play on the name of one of the most prominent residents in Geneva’s history, Colonel George Fabyan, whose villa remains a prominent historical site along the Fox River. The popcorn proved to be a hit, and the shop soon outgrew its birthplace. In 2011, Villwock’s partners took the Kernel Fabyan’s brand to sell bagged popcorn in stores.

Villwock, however, decided to keep popping kernels fresh, relocated the shop to its current location on West State Street in Geneva, and changed the name to Kernel’s. In the years since, Kernel’s has continued to grow and expand its customer base and audience size, opening a location in Naperville.

Villwock attributes the success not only to business and marketing savvy, but primarily to the popcorn and the recipes that have won awards and kept customers coming back time after time.

Villwock noted the popcorn sold in Kernel’s stores is popped and flavored fresh daily, only in small batches at a time. The popcorn is always a regionally sourced white kernel popped in coconut oil and salt.

Available flavor choices almost always include the “movie pop” popcorn, caramel, cheese, white cheddar and the combination, also known to many people as the “Chicago mix” popularized by the Garrett’s chain in Chicago, containing caramel and cheddar cheese flavored popcorn.

But Villwock noted his combo mix should not be confused as some mere attempt to mimic someone else’s product. Rather, Villwock boasts that it is his mix that should be treated as the standard.

“We have what we consider to be the best popcorn around,” Villwock said. “And I don’t think we’ve ever lost in a blind taste test vs. Garrett’s,” he added with a laugh.

He said the Naperville shop, in particular, has a continuously growing clientele of customers who travel out to the western suburb from Chicago to snag a bag of Kernel’s popcorn.

Villwock said his personal favorite has always remained the movie pop flavor popcorn.

“Because it’s healthier,” he said. “Every day when I’m working, that’s what you’re going to find me eating.”

Villwock said customers at Kernel’s can also expect to find other seasonal or special flavors monthly, all made with real ingredients and seasonings, including chocolate drizzle, hot cheese and caramel with cashews. He said he and his team are regularly “dabbling” in other flavors, including recipes using garlic, parmesan, pepper and barbecue flavors. But he said customers shouldn’t expect to find bags filled with dozens of different flavors at a time at Kernel’s shops.

“I know some places have 40 flavors or more to choose from,” said Villwock. “But the problem is they just don’t stay fresh.”

And that freshness, he said, is going to be among the biggest differences customers can expect to find when popping into a Kernel’s store, which also sells an assortment of chocolates, candies, and other items.

Kernel’s excellence has been recognized time and again with awards, as well. The shop has consistently received Reader’s Choice awards for the Best Popcorn/Candy Store from the readers of the Daily Herald and the Kane County Chronicle since 2012, including 2024.

As the Naperville shop built up Kernel’s audience from communities closer to Chicago, so, too, did the Geneva shop draw in an increasing number of visitors from other directions, including from Sycamore and DeKalb County, Villwock said.

Further, he and his family have personal connections to the region, as well, including a son who “lives just down the street” from the new shop.

“We’ve looked at Sycamore for almost four years now,” Villwock said.

So when an opportunity presented itself, Villwock said it was “too good to pass up. We couldn’t refuse the offer.”

He and his family spent months renovating the shop at the end of the building in the plaza they share with other popular eateries, including Rosati’s Pizza and Thai Town.

Villwock said they achieved the goal of opening in October, just in time for the busiest time of the year for purveyors of popcorn: The Christmas season.

“December, by far, is the busiest month of the year,” Villwock said.

On top of large corporate orders, Kernel’s also delivered countless tins of popcorn, as well as other gift items. He noted the tins also carry a bonus, as those receiving them can bring in the gift tins later in the year for a refill, at a 10% discount.

Since opening this fall, Villwock said the Sycamore store has enjoyed a warm welcome from the community, as anticipated.

“Selling popcorn is the best,” he said. “Most people are really happy to see you. And it’s fun to make people happy.”

The Naperville location is 2555 W. 75th St. #109 and the Geneva location is 316 W. State St.