Name(s)?
Alissa and Jeremy Frice
Where do you live?
We live in Coral Gables. We’ve been here about 2 ½ years.
Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
We moved from Portland, Oregon. We were ready for a change. We are in the food business. We’re both chefs and we love the year-round growing season here. We also loved what was happening in the food scene in Miami. It’s very exciting to be part of it.
Did you meet in a kitchen?
Yes. We met in a restaurant in Portland. Jeremy was the chef and I was hired as the pastry chef. Jeremy is a savory chef and I’ve been a pastry chef for about 17 years.
What do you all do now?
We own an ice cream business called Frice cream. We are a wholesale ice cream business. And, we are currently looking for retail space in Coral Gables – but open to other areas.
How did you decide to open an Ice cream business, apart from the perfect name?
For me as a pastry chef, ice cream has always been something that I’ve made as part of restaurant menus and we had a pastry shop in Portland where we made ice cream. It is a natural transition for me. I kind of stole Jeremy from the savory side.
All of your ice creams we’ve tasted are innovate and delicious. Is creating something unknown part of Frice cream’s mission?
We focus on chef driven ice cream, using as many local ingredients as possible. So, during the summer we’re infusing with tropical fruit and during the winter, savory ingredients. We take the time to incorporate all the different flavors that are growing in Miami and South Florida.
What is chef driven ice cream?
Chef driven ice cream means we’re making everything in house ourselves. We make all of the mix-ins like salted caramel, cookies and cream, and brownies. We also make our ice cream base from scratch -which is rare. We often start with the traditional French style custard and then all the flavors evolve from there. One of our favorites is our passion fruit ice cream with an almond brittle. We get fresh passion fruit and strain out the pulp that goes into our ice cream. And then we use the seeds to make the almond brittle. With the almonds, you also get the crunchy texture from the passion fruit seeds and that bright acidity that comes with it.
How do you split the responsibilities between the two of you?
I feel like we work well as a team. We both wear all the hats and share the responsibilities. Now, that includes our 6-month-old son Jaxon as well. Having a newborn adds more hats to the job. He makes every day better than the next.
What have been the challenges opening a store?
The hardest part has been negotiations. A lot of large companies can come in and make any deal in a retail shop that a startup company cannot. We’re looking anywhere between a 1,000-1500 square feet, with heavy foot traffic and in a community with a lot of families.
(A+W) We vote for Pinecrest! Please inundate the Frice’s with emails suggesting the same!
Who comes up with the flavors and which is your favorite?
We both come up with the flavors and recipes. We love testing out new flavors. So usually our favorite is our latest experiment. When we’re not in the kitchen, we’re both talking about different flavor combinations or what new ingredient we might want to incorporate and how. Probably the hardest part of the business is being able to clock in and clock out.
What flavors have you created recently that have surprised people?
We did an event called Duck Duck Goose. All the chefs use different Duck and Goose products and we did a blueberry foie gras ice cream. We used the duck egg yolks to make the ice cream base, the duck egg whites to make the waffle cone batter and sprinkles. We did an anise sprinkle and then duck skin for crackling, like chicharrones. People loved it.
With our fruit flavors, people are often surprised at how delicious it is because we’re using fresh produce and fresh is so different than flavor extracts. We have also worked with fruits that are new to us and even some of the people that grew up here.
How has the Miami food scene changed since you got here and where do you see it going?
More small businesses with local chefs or small restaurants with local chefs have been opening instead of the 300-seat restaurants with corporate/national chefs. Now, more chefs are trying to incorporate local foods into their menu, which we absolutely love. Coming from Portland, that was just part of the restaurant culture. Here, there’s a little bit more of a disconnect between chefs and farmers that we would love to connect more.
How often do you come to the Pinecrest market?
Whenever we’re off on Sundays. Probably once a month.
Do you have a market ritual?
The first thing we do is walk through the whole market and then we create a shopping list to go back through and pick up everything that we want. LNB definitely always a stop. Bee Heaven. We never really have a game plan.
What are your favorite things from LNB?
We get inspiration from local produce. The LNB groves Jackfruit and Papayas have blown us away. We were not papaya believers until LNB. Jaboticabas are our favorite thing we have purchased. Also, your starfruit and bananas are amazing. Last week, we got your avocados and that was Jaxon’s first solid food. He loves them.
What have you made with ingredients from LNB?
We made a jackfruit lassi ice cream. We made a yogurt and mixed that into our ice cream base with jackfruit puree. We’ve also made avocado ice cream, papaya sorbet, and caramelized plantains.
Recipe for LNB Papaya Sorbet
4 cups LNB papaya purée
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 TBS honey
Pinch salt
1/2 each lime juice
Mix ingredients together and freeze in an ice cream maker.
What do you think our market is missing?
We would love more local farmers and more shoppers that want that. I think if the demand is there it would be easier to get more local farmers. We love to meet the farmers and know what they’re growing and when. Your newsletters are great as they share what you’re harvesting. It is challenging to go to a farmer’s market and see produce that’s not local.
What’s a good rainy-day activity?
The new Frost museum. The exhibits rotate and there’s always different things to look at and learn about that includes kids and adults.
Do you have coming up that you might like to promote or share?
We’ll be at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in February at the family ice cream social and the grand tasting. We will also be at the Bal Harbor ice cream event in January.
Are there any philanthropic groups or events that you would like to promote or share?
One of our favorites is the Woody Foundation.
Is there a question that you would like to ask the LNBs?
What can we do from our end to help connect more restaurants to local produce?
(A+W) We love when chefs put in the time to visit the farm and learn about our crops. It would be great to schedule a field trip.
What question might you like to ask our community?
What would you want from your local ice cream shop?
How can readers be in touch with you?
www.fricecream.miami