Sunday is National Ice Cream Day. Celebrate by checking out these Black-owned shops

Ruby’s Scoops

Fed up by noticing a lack of quality in the market for frozen confections, chef and dessert-lover Rabia Kamara set out to create a solution that was wholesome and unique. Sourcing fresh ingredients from local farms, she began crafting her fresh handmade ice creams, sherberts, sorbets and baked goods which locals and visitors to Richmond, Virginia can try at her shop Ruby’s Scoops. This week, it’s Christmas in July and the menu will feature flavors such as Orange Chocolate, East Atlanta Santa, Vegan Gingerbread and Eggnog. While these are “holiday” offerings, creativity is a perennial trademark of Kamara’s approach with other flavors including Ube, blackberry mojito and red bean.

Cathy’s Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches

An indulgent twist on a classic confection, Cathy’s Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches, found in Cleveland, Ohio, pair unique flavors like black cherry, carrot cake, truffle and banana pudding with freshly baked homemade cookies in varieties like snickerdoodle, peanut butter and ginger molasses for a one-of-a-kind treat found nowhere else. With the addition of toppings like Fruity Pebbles, homemade chocolate sauce and pecans, customers can design their perfect treat each time they visit the store. A Spelman grad, lawyer, baker and entrepreneur, the shop’s owner, Cathy Cross, is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Earlier this year the brand expanded to open a second location in Atlanta.

Creamalicious

Inside every pint of Creamalicious ice cream are four generations of pastry recipes passed down the Rogers line in Southern Black family tradition. The flavors sound like the offerings in a church fellowship hall bake sale, like banana pudding, caramel pound cake, peach cobbler and sweet potato pie. The success with which chef and founder, Liz Rogers, has translated baked goods into frozen confectionary magic since launching the brand early last year is unmatched. Creamalicious scoops can be in select retailers primarily east of the Mississippi, with a smattering found in southern California as well,, making it the only Black-owned ice cream brand to receive such wide circulation. Creamalicious has kicked off the summer by partnering with McAlister’s Deli to create “Creamalicious & McAlister’s Deli Sweet Tea Ice Cream” named after the company’s signature drink.

This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 9:00 AM.