Nothing announces the advent of summer quite like Memorial Day. Spend your long weekend, enjoying the California sunshine and getting a head start on National Ice Cream Month, which starts June 1.
Carmela Ice Cream
Jessica Mortarotti, the co-founder of Carmela Ice Cream, is one of the leaders of the artisan revolution. She has been crafting frozen treats with produce directly from the farmer’s market for almost ten years.
“[At] one of our first farmer’s markets, one of the farmers came up to me and [asked], ‘Will you taste my cucumbers and try to make a cucumber sorbet? I think it sounds really good,’” Mortarotti said. The end result? You guessed it: Cucumber sorbet. Most of Carmela’s ice creams are seasonal so you know that what you’re eating is at the peak of freshness.
Mortarotti credits this to the fresh ingredients and a French custard style ice cream base she developed. This base uses uses milk and egg yolks, “it just gives you a little bit more of a flavorful creamy texture, [and a] more stable final product,” she said.
Stop by for flavors like Salted Caramel and Coffee made with beans from Intelligensia and don’t forget to try their homemade waffle cones and waffle ice cream dishes.
Carmela Ice Cream is located at 2495 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena. Call (626) 797-1405 or visit www.carmelaicecream.com for more details.
Coolhaus
If you have room for dessert, choose from four CoolHaus ice cream sandwiches. The Cara-Mia Lehrer sandwiches salted caramel ice cream between two snickerdoodle cookies – it comes frozen to perfection – the perfect temperature to take a bite of. This creamy dessert provides a nice contrast to the hoppy beer and is the perfect way to end any meal.
CoolHaus is located at 59 E Colorado Boulevard in Indiana Colony. Call (626) 486-2700 or visit www.eatcoolhaus.com.
Ice Cream Lab
Ice Cream Lab’s high-tech ice cream is made using liquid nitrogen to make on-the-spot fresh ice cream at -320 degrees fahrenheit. This trendy dessert is flavorful and has a uniquely creamy texture. Since each ice cream is made fresh, be prepared for a bit of a wait and use the time in line to customize your ice cream order. Try the Salt Lick Crunch – all natural vanilla ice cream mixed with pretzels, caramel with a sprinkling of sea salt or make your own creation.
Ice Cream Lab is located at 16 South Fair Oaks Avenue. Call (626) 808-4874 or visit http://icecreamlab.com/.
Afters Ice Cream
Is it an ice cream sandwich or a doughnut sundae? This awe-inspiring dessert, called a creamy Bun, includes a scoop of ice cream, a topping – try the cereal for a nice crunch – and comes pressed in a hot doughnut. The crunchy toppings like Afters Flakes and Cinnamon Cereal.
Although many of their flavors seem to be influenced by Asian culture – like Jasmine Milk Tea Ice Cream and Mochi toppings – Afters Ice Cream is a flavor experience all its own. A Milky Bun’s cold ice cream compliments the soft, pillowy doughnut and cereal toppings lend an unexpected crunch.
Afters Ice Cream is located at 1265 East Green Street. Visit www.aftersicecream.com for more details.
KindKreme
This organic vegan bistro offers lunch, dinner and dessert with a full case of 24 raw, dairy-free flavors plus soft serve and other desserts. The ice cream is made with a base of cashew, almond and coconut milk plus fresh ingredients like kale and cacao. Try a “Fresh” with cucumber, kale, lemon, Himalayan sea salt or “Superfood” – acai, E3Live, goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, chia seeds, maca and macadamia nuts or choose from their seasonal specialties.
KindKreme is located at 319 South Arroyo Parkway. Call (213) 989-1718 or visit www.sageveganbistro.com/kindkreme.
Bengees
Ice cream is just one of those things that makes you feel good – whether you like it in a cup or cone, now there’s a place to satisfy all your frozen dessert needs.
Bengee’s Ice Cream Crafters is an all-inclusive ice cream parlor that has tasty vegan options, fun toppings like Oreo crumbles and even a creamy bun – or cronut option.
“Ice cream makes me happy so I want others to enjoy it too,” said the owner, Foulay Saelor. His favorite treat is horchata ice cream in a creamy bun with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Although he is not vegan himself, Saelor wanted to make an all-inclusive ice cream experience and encourages guests to come in and sample all the flavors.
Bengee’s Ice Cream Crafters is located at 901 E Del Mar Boulevard.
Enjoy the start of summer!
