What’s your creative process behind ideating new flavors?
Often, I will ask people around me about their favorite flavor profiles and challenge myself to translate those into ice cream. When I am creating for myself, there are no real parameters. I will wander through grocery stores, snack aisles or markets and just see what catches my eye. A trip to an Asian supermarket or bakery always sparks new ideas.
When I am creating for a particular event or collaboration, I actually enjoy having parameters, especially when there is a specific ingredient or story to anchor the flavor narrative around. I was once asked to develop a flavor for a Japanese whisky brand and as someone who does not drink much whisky, it was a completely new space for me, but that made it even more fun to experiment and find a way in through the flavor rather than personal familiarity.
What are some things that you’ve learned in the course of founding and launching your ice cream business?
Everything melts (literally and metaphorically). Machines break, flavors flop, the batch you swore was perfect turns weird overnight. Ice cream is basically controlled chaos and you are always one degree away from disaster. Luckily, catastrophic thinking and risk management come pretty naturally to a lawyer.
What’s your favorite classic ice cream flavor? And what’s your favorite flavor that you’ve created?
I love chocolate in all its forms, from the perfect dark chocolate gelato I once had in Bologna to a good old-fashioned rocky road. As for my own creations, I am especially proud of a burnt honey, miso and glazed pecan flavor. It hits that sweet spot between savory and sweet with a little bit of crunch which is very much my kind of balance.
Where can people sample your ice cream?
This summer, I will be popping up every weekend at Roses of Elagabalus in Dalston, serving ice cream straight out of the hatch from 12 p.m. until sundown. I am rotating four new flavors of ice creams and sorbets each month, often inspired by their brilliant cocktail menus, so there is always something new to try. This month is Spanish-themed, so I developed an olive oil and tomato jam ice cream. On paper, it sounds a bit unusual, but the balance works beautifully.