The Country’s Newest Dessert Trend Has Rolled into Town
Tucked away in the back corner of The Shops at Willow Bend food court, the atmosphere of 10° F Rolling Ice Cream is bright and cheerful. Teenage employees take orders and bustle around like bees while the manager rolls out their customers’ creations (no pun intended…well maybe a little). A solid line is formed in front of the sole register, and a throng of about twenty people are crowded around the glass panels watching their ice cream concoctions being created.
The rolled ice cream trend began in the street carts of Thailand and quickly spread across the globe due to its unique look and healthier nature (because of the liquid composition and instant freezing process, additives are not necessary). Not surprisingly, the frozen treat became an instant hit in Manhattan. The owners of 10° F, originally from New York, noticed its success and knew there was an open market in the Dallas area. The shop opened this past November and has quickly become a hit. There are already plans of extending the 10° F brand to five more locations in the DFW Metroplex, with one of the proposed spots potentially being in The Colony.
According to an employee, one order is equal to about two scoops of traditionally made ice cream. The menu is fairly simple: pick a flavor of ice cream for the base – either original, green tea or chocolate – and then choose up to two mix-ins. These range from freshly cut fruit to Oreo cookies. Once the rolls have been made, customers have the option to select an unlimited amount of toppings as a finishing touch.
The process itself is mesmerizing. The ice cream is stored in liquid form and then poured onto large flat, metal surfaces. The surfaces look identical to what crepes are made on, except instead of being heated, they are kept frozen. The mix-ins are then placed in the middle of the ice cream “batter” and, using two flat spatulas, chopped up until finely blended. All the while the ice cream has become colder and stiffer due to the frozen surface.
Up until this point, the whole process is almost identical to that of Marble Slab or Cold Stone Creamery. But it differs when the semi-frozen mix is spread out into a thin square across the surface, allowing the ice cream to harden. Once spread, the rolling finally begins. Taking one of the spatulas, the flattened ice cream is scraped from bottom to top in strips, causing them to curl into small, individual rolls.
The employees are like machines. Pour, chop, smooth, roll. It seems like they could go on an entire day without stopping. Both children and adults take photos and Snapchats of the process, sending them to friends and family.
Compared to its competition across the country, the menu here at 10° F Rolling Ice Cream is fairly concise, having three options as base flavors and nine as mix-ins. There is only one register and two of the frozen surfaces, so orders can easily become backed up during peak times.
Hopefully, we will see that with the expansion of locations, the menu options and customizations will grow as well. Only time will tell whether or not the rolling trend sticks around as long as frozen yogurt. But for now, 10° F seems to be the perfect place for those looking to try a hip, new dessert spot or, if anything, to snap a couple of pictures for Instagram.
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