The silky texture of the creamy small-batch ice cream made at Mother Moo Creamery or at Carmela Ice Cream will ruin the late-night ice cream run at any other establishment. Similar in concept, the owners of each artisan ice cream destination attended the prestigious Penn State Ice Cream Short Course. Fortune smiles on the San Gabriel Valley, as both Mother Moo and Carmela operate stores here, although a Carmela location graces downtown, as well, with a shop on West 3rd Street.
Mother Moo’s Karen Klemens makes small batch homemade ice cream from locally sourced ingredients, most of which come from farms located within a few miles of her shop. All ice cream is made fresh right in her country-style parlor located on Kersting Court in Sierra Madre. Fans rave about the salty chocolate: three kinds of chocolate richly blended with a hint of French sea salt, a flavor combination so good that some visitors cannot bear to try anything else. Raw honey flavored ice cream, sourced from a local farm where bees feast on organic citrus blossoms rather than sugar water, enhances creamy organic dairy with a subtle honey flavor. Klemens complements the ice cream selection with old-fashioned sodas like Virgil’s cola, Bleinheim ginger ale, or the best root beer in the country, Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer.
Jessica Mortarotti co-created Carmela Ice Cream in 2007, naming the shop after her grandmother, Carmela Mortarotti. The daughter of a baker, Carmela not only taught Jessica the joy of creating in the kitchen, but also inspired her garden-themed flavors. The name Carmela means “garden,” and the flavors derive from the fruits of a backyard garden - herbs and spices, flowers, and seasonal fruit. Signature flavors include brown sugar vanilla bean, a treat for more than just vanilla lovers, and dark chocolate cacao nib, which won the 2014 “Best Artisanal Ice Cream Flavor in America” awarded by Bon Appetit. From the herbs and spice category, cardamom, nutmeg, and rosemary pine nut tempt the taste buds with rich and interesting flavors. From the orchard, the brilliant colors and tastes of cara cara orange, cranberry orange thyme, and spiced apple flavor intense sorbets.
Mother Moo’s Karen Klemens makes small batch homemade ice cream from locally sourced ingredients, most of which come from farms located within a few miles of her shop. All ice cream is made fresh right in her country-style parlor located on Kersting Court in Sierra Madre. Fans rave about the salty chocolate: three kinds of chocolate richly blended with a hint of French sea salt, a flavor combination so good that some visitors cannot bear to try anything else. Raw honey flavored ice cream, sourced from a local farm where bees feast on organic citrus blossoms rather than sugar water, enhances creamy organic dairy with a subtle honey flavor. Klemens complements the ice cream selection with old-fashioned sodas like Virgil’s cola, Bleinheim ginger ale, or the best root beer in the country, Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer.
Jessica Mortarotti co-created Carmela Ice Cream in 2007, naming the shop after her grandmother, Carmela Mortarotti. The daughter of a baker, Carmela not only taught Jessica the joy of creating in the kitchen, but also inspired her garden-themed flavors. The name Carmela means “garden,” and the flavors derive from the fruits of a backyard garden - herbs and spices, flowers, and seasonal fruit. Signature flavors include brown sugar vanilla bean, a treat for more than just vanilla lovers, and dark chocolate cacao nib, which won the 2014 “Best Artisanal Ice Cream Flavor in America” awarded by Bon Appetit. From the herbs and spice category, cardamom, nutmeg, and rosemary pine nut tempt the taste buds with rich and interesting flavors. From the orchard, the brilliant colors and tastes of cara cara orange, cranberry orange thyme, and spiced apple flavor intense sorbets.