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A new ice cream shop in the San Gabriel Valley is the first in L.A. County to offer the distinctive design and flavors of ice cream rolls, a popular dessert in Thailand.
Chelo Creamery first opened in the summer of 2015, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that the shop's owner Jeannette Chang added Thai-style ice cream rolls to the menu. Following in the theme of their existing menu items of gelato, Italian Ice, waffles & cream, gelatoroons (macaroon gelato sandwich), and shaved snow offered at the Rowland Heights shop, the Thai ice cream rolls come in seven Asian inspired flavors. Flavors including dragon fruit, chocolate Oreo, strawberries and cheesecake, salted caramel, and matcha green tea. For those more adventurous eaters, there's also a durian coconut ice cream roll, appropriately named "Funky Town."
There are 2 flattop surfaces at Chelo Creamery, which are specifically designed to create the ice cream rolls. A creamy puree mixture of the fruit and flavors is poured over the chilled surface like a crepe that sits at least -10º Fahrenheit. It is then beaten, mixed, and mashed until the puree solidifies into an ice cream-like texture. Once the mixture fully solidifies, it is then spread across the surface once again and scraped into tiny rolls. Each individual roll is then placed into a cup and topped with the appropriate garnishes that complement the flavor ordered. Each ice cream roll will set you back $6.50.
Chang uses real fruit her mixes, which ensures that the ice cream rolls do not taste artificially sweet. The result is a very creamy and not overly sweet gelato-like roll. Each flavor has unique toppings to bring together the theme. For example, the mocha and red bean ice cream roll is topped with a green tea Poky stick and a chocolate kolala bear. The ice cream rolls are popular in Thailand, but Chang is the first to bring the dessert to Los Angeles. Prior to Chelo Creamery, the only presence of Thai rolled ice cream was in a New York City creamery called 10Below.
“I love dessert. My family used to be in the restaurant business and this is my take on that. I’d love to eventually own my restaurant,” says the shop's owner Jeannette Chang.
Chang had always wanted to open her own dessert shop. After feeling unsatisfied with her e-commerce marketing job, she spent three years researching desserts. Despite the colder weather, there are still no drinks or hot desserts on the menu right now, but Chang is working hard to expand the items. New flavors ice creams, gelatos, and Italian ice are constantly rotated into the menu so make sure to check out Chelo’s Instagram for the latest.
Chelo Creamery is located at 18558 Gale Avenue, Rowland Heights, (626) 965-5817
