Ian Carandang’s love affair with ice cream started with a whim back in 1998.
“My balikbayan tita asked me what I wanted as ‘pasalubong,’” he said. “On a whim, and since I had just bought a copy of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream recipe book, I asked her to get me an ice cream maker; one of the old-school ones where you filled the sides with ice and rock salt.”
He got what he wanted.
“The first ice cream I made was a riff on Chunky Monkey, a banana ice cream with walnuts and dark chocolate chunks,” he said. “And I’ve been mixing and churning ever since.”
Carandang has since come a long way. His Sebastian ice-cream parlor is a trend-setter in frozen delights.
He caught my attention when my Manang Babot brought a pint of Sapin-Sapin ice cream, given her by her daughter in law Maiki.
I was captivated. I thought whoever conceptualized it was an artist.
Everything about the ice cream was well thought out: From the way it swirled down to getting the exact shades, the texture was really like sapin-sapin. Taste-wise, it was no less than what it claimed to be, complete with bits of latik.
I immediately looked for Ian to compliment him.
Carandang is 36. He took up BA Business Administration and BA Visual Communication at UP Diliman.
“Both helped me tremendously to get me where I am today,” he said.
Surely, only a man who has mastered ice-cream making fundamentals could make the ice-cream version of the folk kakanin, transforming it to something as delectable as his sapin-sapin ice cream and making the concept work.
His ice creams are what they’re named to be.
Take his mangga’t suman. It is really made of fresh mangoes, not overly sweetened. In fact, the fruit retains its original quality: fresh with a tinge of tartness, purred and swirled in to a rich ice-cream base, with bits of real sticky rice-suman.
His tibok-tibok is literally it in ice cream form—rich smooth carabao with coconut milk with fine bits of latik.
His champorado ice cream is a cross between a chocolate rice porridge and pudding.
Why ice cream?
“Initially, I was drawn to ice cream because it is a very forgiving medium, especially compared to other pastries,” he replied. “If you mess up with the proportions, you can simply melt your base, make adjustments and run it through the machine again.
Ultimate comfort food
“But as I’ve gone deeper into the process these past years; trying to figure out what flavors people like, and in a larger sense, what people like about ice cream as a whole, I’ve discovered something deeper: Ice cream is the ultimate comfort food.
“It’s one of the first treats we learn to like as children: Its soft, smooth texture makes it easy to eat, and the sweet, uncomplicated flavors make it easy to love, especially on a hot sunny day.
“There is something about it that is universal; the way it feels in your mouth as it melts in your tongue takes you back to your childhood and a time when joy was easier to come by
“Food trends come and go, but ice cream is timeless.”
Carandang said his favorite movie is Pixar’s “Ratatouille.” He liked the moment Remy, the aspiring rodent chef, says, “I want to make things. I want to add something to this world!”
“Watching that moment for the very first time in that darkened theater gave me a shiver down my spine,” he said. “That was the first time someone had explained so succinctly, and so perfectly what I was trying to accomplish.”
Believe me, Ian, when I say, that you have added to the world many delicious flavors. With your signature kakanin ice creams, you have shown the real ingenuity of the Filipino. Inspired by our local rice cakes, you have developed a fine line of world-class, high-end sorbetes that we can all be proud of.
Other personal favorites: The blue cheese ice cream I think is exceptional. It’s rich and creamy; all blue in character—tangy and salty with huge bits of blue cheese. It is served, dribbled with honey for that touch of sweetness, complemented with the earthiness of walnuts.
Another must-try is the Snack Attack dive bar: brown butter ice cream bar dipped in caramel and rolled in chocolate covered potato chips, peanut butter covered pretzels and honey roasted peanuts. Super!
There are many flavors, call 4266935 for their special flavors. Now, aware of what Ian can do, you can perhaps name a combination of flavors and he can put it together for you.
After all, this is the man who was brave enough to make bagoong ice cream and was honest enough to say that it was “possibly the absolute worst flavor I’ve ever done!”
Call 0917-5543700, 0908-2372346, 4008496, 9289296.
E-mail the author [email protected].
