Get the Scoop

If you’re in the mood for a frozen treat that will make you forget about the sweltering heat or just in need of a sweet pick-me-up, a scoop of artisanal ice cream or sorbet from Carmela Ice Cream Co. is a must.

Jessica Mortarotti, the fearless and adventurous mastermind behind this ice cream powerhouse, makes French-custard-style ice cream that uses egg yolks and dairy-free sorbet using fresh, seasonal ingredients. For a garden-inspired twist, she incorporates herbs and spices.

People flock to Carmela’s storefront in Northeast Pasadena or the South Pasadena farmers’ market because Mortarotti and her crew truly appreciate the craft of ice cream and sorbet making. Growing up in the Bay Area, Mortarotti always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a love for creative and delicious food.

After traveling the world and searching for that unique business idea, she finally landed on the concept of creating handmade, preservative-free, classic French custard ice cream and dairy-free sorbet.

Back in 2007, frozen yogurt was all the rage, and there weren’t many ice cream choices outside of the big chains. Mortarotti saw an opportunity to bring something new to the table.

The only problem was that she had no idea how to make ice cream. Determined to learn, she enrolled in a 10-day course at Penn State, the same place Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield went before opening their eponymous business. Unfortunately, the course was not what she expected.

“I actually was more confused and a little bit deflated because it was geared toward big manufacturing, big equipment and even how to clean a warehouse. … I was just trying to learn how to make ice cream,” says Mortarotti.

Undaunted, she decided to take matters into her own hands and began tinkering around with recipes at home, teaching herself by trial and error. Her first flavor was rose petal.

She got the idea for mixing herbs and berries while managing a bakery on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. “My friend, who was a chef, said ‘Why don’t we make blackberry-lavender jam?’ I would have never thought about that, and it was delicious. I was, like, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” Mortarotti says.

Never could she have realized that it was the start of what was later to be Carmela’s diverse potpourri of ice cream and sorbet flavors.

Today, flavors like Meyer lemon basil sorbet, spiced apple sorbet, salted caramel, lavender honey and brown butter sage take center stage in the winter, while strawberry buttermilk, white peach vanilla bean, raspberry rose petal sorbet and watermelon mint sorbet are just a few of the summer offerings.

There are also plenty of year-round tea- and coffee-inspired flavors, including matcha green tea, Earl Grey and Lavender & Honey and espresso. Carmela also serves affogatos, the classic Italian treat that consists of coffee poured over ice cream. (See page 40 to learn more about affogatos.)

Mortarotti’s passion for sourcing local ingredients is evident from the hormone- free milk from Driftwood dairy in Azusa to the seasonal fruits, many of them organic, and herbs from local farms that she uses.

“[We] never use any flavorings, colorings, stabilizers or anything artificial— none of that stuff. … It’s a very clean version of ice cream,” Mortarotti says. I can tell you firsthand, every scoop provides an explosion of flavor.

BUSINESS BEGINNINGS

Though most of her friends thought that she was “insane” for starting a business without any experience, Mortarotti rented a shared kitchen in downtown Los Angeles.

For the first four years, she only sold at farmers’ markets because it gave her an avenue to start the business without having a huge overhead. Despite not having a brick-and-mortar location, the business took off quickly, and she soon began catering weddings, birthdays and private parties using a charming 1975 Chevy ice cream truck for events and farmers’ markets.

With a growing number of loyal fans, Mortarotti needed a larger kitchen and found a facility in Pasadena for production. The space was large enough to open one side for scooping and selling their other creations: ice cream sandwiches made with chocolate sea salt cookies, homemade waffle cones, and sauces such as chocolate, butterscotch and salted caramel.

The store is also environmentally conscious, using biodegradable packaging made from sugar cane fiber materials.

Mortarotti’s journey of learning how to make ice cream, experimenting with flavors and building a loyal customer base shows that with determination and a willingness to take risks, anything is possible. She sees her ice cream as a “community service” that brings joy to people’s lives.

“It’s nice to get the recognition for making a good product that people really appreciate and love,” she says.

• Carmela Ice cream can be found every Thursday at the South Pasadena Farmers’ Market and daily at 2495 E. Washington Blvd. in Pasadena. For more information visit CarmelaIceCream.com.