Just in time for summer, the Thai rolled ice cream trend has taken our city by storm, bringing three different options to the Cincinnati area.
If you haven't heard of the fad, you might be wondering what all the buzz is about. Popular in bigger cities like Los Angeles and New York City, rolled ice cream is a Thai-influenced dessert in which an ice cream base is placed on an anti-griddle — basically the opposite of a hot plate — and mixed with flavors and toppings. After the ice cream solidifies, it gets rolled into cute little scrolls and is placed snuggly in a cup. It's then topped with fruit, chocolate, toasted marshmallows, etc.
Local entrepreneurs took notice of the trend popping up across the nation and wanted to bring the popular treat to Cincinnati.
Currently, a pop-up shop based out of Findlay Market — Lenny's Cold Rolled Creamery — has been operating each weekend for the past six weeks. Leonard Barreto, owner of the shop, noticed the trend after seeing a video of street vendors in Thailand making rolled ice cream and "immediately fell in love with the idea." Lenny's Cold Rolled Creamery offers many options for unique ice cream creations which range in price from $4-$7, like the S'mores, Brownie Bash, Peaches and Cream, Birthday Cake and the popular "90s Kid" with Fruity Pebbles, strawberry sauce and Airhead candies. Barreto moved to the United States from Venezuela when he was young. He grew up in Dayton and moved to Cincinnati for college, graduating from Xavier University in 2016. He became a U.S. citizen last year and says "entrepreneurship is the heart of the American dream." More info here.
Simply Rolled Ice Cream, a franchise from Columbus, officially opened on July 11 at 32 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. The shop offers made-to-order ice cream creations with a vegan-friendly option and over 20 toppings and mix-ins. It also offers 10 signature ice cream rolls such as the Pina Colada, Buckeye Madness and seasonal rolls like Orange Rollsicle and Cotton Candy Fizzaz. All ice creams are priced at $6. More info here.
The Sweet Place, another brick-and-mortar location for rolled ice cream, opened July 6 at 2910 Short Vine in Corryville and offers a slew of sweet treats like baked goods, funnel cakes, churros and cookie shots in addition to ice cream. The bakery owners, Allison and Robert Craig, noticed there weren't any options for rolled ice cream in the area so along with their store managers, they ventured to California to sample and research the flavors and types of rolled ice cream in order to open up their shop. Their rolled ice cream costs $6 and is made-to-order, though their most popular flavors are cotton candy and birthday cake. More info here.
There's also a Yolo Rollo franchise inside the Kenwood Towne Center if you want some kiosk-rolled cream while you shop.
