The cuisine of California reflects the diverse culture of California and is influenced largely by European American, Hispanic American, East Asian and Oceanian influences, and Western European influences, as well as the food trends and traditions of larger American cuisine.
Gelato is the common word in Italian for all types of ice cream. In English, it specifically refers to a frozen dessert of Italian origin. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles of frozen dessert. Gelato typically contains 35% air and more flavoring than other types of frozen desserts, giving it an intense flavor with creamy, smooth texture, density and richness that distinguishes it from other ice creams.
Italian ice is a semi-frozen sweetened treat composed of finely granulated ice and fruit concentrates, juices, or purées, or other natural or artificial food flavorings. Italian ice is derived from Italian granita and is in many ways similar to sorbet and snow cones, but differs from American-style sherbet in that it does not contain dairy or egg ingredients. The ingredients in Italian ice are mixed, then whipped during the freezing process similar to the process for making ice cream. As a group, Italian ice comes in a variety of consistencies from crunchy, to smooth, to slushy. In Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, including South Jersey and northern Delaware, Italian ice is known as water ice.
Ice cream parlors or ice cream parlours are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream, and/or soft serve, which is usually dispensed by a machine with a limited number of flavors. Ice cream parlors generally offer a number of flavors and items. Parlors often serve ice cream and other frozen desserts in cones, cups or dishes, the latter two to be eaten with a spoon. Some ice cream parlors prepare ice cream desserts such as sundaes or milkshakes, or even a blend.
Blue moon is an ice cream flavor with bright blue coloring, available in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Multiple cities in the region claim to be the originator, with the popular theories including Plainwell, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Ludington, Michigan. The Chicago Tribune has described the ice cream as "Smurf-blue, marshmallow-sweet". Blue moon ice cream is one of the flavors that make up Superman ice cream in certain states.
Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. was a pharmacy holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States. The combined company was formed in April 1994 when Los Angeles–based TCH Corporation, the parent company of Thrifty Corporation and Thrifty Drug Stores, Inc., acquired the Kmart subsidiary PayLess Drug Stores Northwest, Inc. At the time of the merger, TCH Corporation was renamed Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. and Thrifty operated 495 stores, PayLess operated 543 stores.
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, or other ingredients, such as wine, liqueur, or honey.
Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, restaurateur, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.
Original New York Seltzer is a carbonated soft drink. It was produced from about 1981 to 1994 by father and son Alan and Randy Miller as a non-caffeinated line of sodas featuring natural flavors with no preservatives or artificial colors. The brand was revived in mid-2015, featuring eight flavors: Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Raspberry, Peach, Lemon & Lime, BlueBerry, Black Cherry, and Concord Grape. Cola & Berry was added in 2016.<ref>"ONYS Drinks |". Archived from the original on 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
Salt & Straw is an ice cream company based in Portland, Oregon. The company was launched in 2011 by cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek.
Coolhaus is an American ice cream company based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2009 by Natasha Case and Freya Estreller.
Stir-fried ice cream, also known as rolled ice cream, is a sweetened frozen dessert. It is made using milk, cream and sugars as well as other added ingredients to improve the flavor. The liquid mixture is stirred constantly to incorporate air spaces on an ice pan and simultaneously cooled to −30 °C (−22 °F) in a motion somewhat resembling stir frying. The completed rolling process results in rolls of smooth, semisolid ice cream or gelato. The rolls are placed in a vertical position in an ice cream cup, topped off with various toppings and decorations, and eaten with a spoon.
Choctál LLC is a single-origin ice cream company that produces four varieties of chocolate and four varieties of vanilla in pints and 4-ounce single-serve cups. The 4-ounce cups are also packaged separately in Chocolate and Vanilla Tours. Choctál is known for being the only single-origin ice cream company; each type of ice cream is made from a single variety of cacao or vanilla beans, creating more complex flavor than traditional ice cream. Single origin is a concept often found in coffee. Choctál is headquartered in Pasadena, California. The ice cream is produced in Cedarburg, Wisconsin with no artificial additives, eggs, or gluten and rBST-free milk.
Amorino is a French multinational chain of gelato boutiques headquartered outside of Paris, France. The company was founded in 2002 by Cristiano Sereni and Paolo Benassi, two childhood friends from Reggio Emilia.
Sharbat is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with a spoon or diluted with water to create the drink.
Cloud City Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor in Portland, Oregon.
Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor with multiple locations in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business was founded by chief executive officer Molly Moon Neitzel in 2008. Ice cream is made on-site in each of its shops, rather than in central commissaries, to avoid the possibility that ice cream will partially melt and refreeze during delivery.
Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery, or simply Sweet Alchemy, is an ice creamery based in Seattle, Washington. The business has shops in the University District and Ballard neighborhoods and on Capitol Hill. Owner Lois Ko opened the first location near the University of Washington in 2016. The Ballard location opened in 2019 and shares a space with Mighty-O Donuts, and the Capitol Hill shop opened in Chophouse Row in 2020. Sweet Alchemy offers a variety of ice cream and other desserts, and makes cakes, cones, cookies, and toppings in-house. The business pasteurizes its dairy from local farms daily. It has garnered a positive reception and is considered among Seattle's best ice cream shops.
D'Ambrosio Gelato is a gelato producer and retailer based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Hellenika Cultured Creamery is a cultured gelato company based in Seattle, Washington. The business operates shops at Pike Place Market and in the University District.
