There is life and then there is ice cream. Growing up, I followed the four major food groups religiously. Especially, when it came to dairy. I had that group on lockdown. Vanilla ice cream. Chocolate ice cream. Ice cream with nuts so I could kill two birds with one stone—dairy and protein.

Long story short, I was all about the ice cream.

As I got older, ice cream ended up playing second fiddle to new passions in my life— music and girls. The only time the two met was when I took a date to the ice cream shop after wooing her with my guitar skills. A sad but true story.

Then one day I stumbled upon a shop. Inside, fog ascended in the air like a scene from a movie, with a whooshing sound tickling my ear drums. It grew louder and louder, like a call to the wild. I knew something was imminent. Something epic.

Out of the fog came a hand holding the most wonderful culinary delight— a salted caramel ice cream. (Hold on, I need a moment)

That day I learned that the shops name was à la minute, a quaint little abode of ice cream located in Redlands, California. Owned by Ryan and Cassi Berk, their shop uses a 100% organic ice cream base with liquid nitrogen to freeze it right before your eyes. I like to call this moment the “à la minute experience”—similar to listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience—satisfying.

If that wasn’t enough, Ryan and Cassi source all their ingredients locally whenever possible and collaborate with local businesses on various projects to offer their customers something new and exciting—an effort that I applaud for their attention to building community in addition to using quality products.

But, truth be told, they had me at ice cream.

As I walked away from the shop that day, I had my hand figuratively raised in the air singing that age-old song: “You scream. I scream. We all scream for ice cream!”

All Day, Err Day: à la minute ice cream.

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à la minute ice cream
19 East Citrus Avenue #105, Redlands, CA 92373