The Parlor Ice Cream Co. Launches in Boston
A new pop-up by Mei Mei's former pastry chef is at Aurum Pies, the Middle Gray, SoWa, and elsewhere in the coming weeks.
Jacqueline Dole isn’t afraid to meld sweet and savory. The former Mei Mei pastry chef just launched her own line of hard ice cream, and ingredients like gochujang, toasted milk solids, and sage give the Parlor Ice Cream Co. a unique position in Boston’s venerable landscape of frozen confections.
“I’ve really loved making ice cream that’s boozy, cheesy and otherwise unexpected for ice cream,” says Dole, a 2014 Zagat 30 Under 30 honoree who got her culinary start working in a scoop shop.
Dole, a Cambridge School of Culinary Arts grad, was behind intriguing Mei Mei desserts like miso sugar cookies, egg nog panna cotta, and a triple corn caramel cake. She left the restaurant over the summer, and was making fun and funky flavors at Gracie’s Ice Cream in Somerville until it shuttered for the winter. She’s spent the past few months in the kitchen at Commonwealth. Dole previously told Zagat she eventually plans to open her own place.
Parlor is a Boston-based, roving brand right now; Dole is teaming up with local chefs on some upcoming pop-ups, and she plans to set up a few Sundays at SoWa this summer. She’s looking into getting a spot on the Greenway, and she’s in talks with a few restaurants around the city about adding her products to their menus, she says.
At a recent dinner at Aurum in Jamaica Plain, she offered a chocolate, coffee, and gochujang sundae. She’s working on frozen labne with honey-fermented pomegranate and koji crisp for a koji-focused feast at Whisk at Fazenda (Brassica Kitchen). She’s also joining forces with Oisa Ramen’s Moe Kuroki on two upcoming pop-ups, one with Mizuna & Co.’s Mike Betts at the Middle Gray on March 10; and a pairing dinner with sake expert Richard Auffrey and Aurum owner Matt Virzi, again at Aurum, on March 21.
“I’m doing a lot of collaboration with local companies to highlight the best of New England,” Dole says. “Lots of unexpected flavors; I love to do a lot of savory things!”
Parlor Ice Cream Co. recently joined Instagram, where Dole will share the scoop about her sweet and savory creations.
