Look out Cold Stone Creamery, beware Froyo, the next big thing in frozen desserts may be coming from Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven.
A frozen dessert product and store concept created by five Wilbur Cross students won first prize in April at the National ProStart Invitational Restaurant Management Competition in Providence, R.I.
The quintet bested teams from 45 high schools nationwide to walk away with $6,000 each in scholarships from the National Restaurant Association, Coca Cola and Burger King.
The five young women were still basking in their victory late last week as they traveled to Hartford to be honored by the General Assembly.
“I’m very proud of myself and my team,” said Captain Janaisha Taylor, a junior in the school’s culinary arts program, as she waited outside the legislative chambers.
“It was an amazing feeling,” added her teammate and fellow culinary student, junior Brenda Lituma. “I am being completely honest when I say it really was not expected.”
Other team members are Kayla Rose, Denaysia Gumbs and Eva Perez.
Creating a tasty treat was only half the battle for the young women. Competitors also had to write financial, management and marketing plans, proving that their tasty products could also be profitable businesses. The students conceived a female-owned company whose product incorporated science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills they learned at Cross.
The team, which started working on the project last summer, kicked around a number of ideas before settling on a vegan-gluten-free frozen dessert, Taylor said. They wanted to make something everyone can eat, she explained.
After much discussion and experimentation, the young women ended up with frozen almond, soy and coconut milk in eight flavors. When it came to freezing the concoction, the young women tapped their STEM skills; the dessert is kept in premade liquid form and then flash-frozen in front of customers using liquid nitrogen.
The liquid nitrogen isn’t just to create pizzazz, Taylor said. It also has a practical aspect: the super cold substance makes fewer ice crystals, resulting in a creamier product, she said. Liquid nitrogen also inspired the business’ proposed name: N2ICE LAB. While the substance is expensive, the team was still able to keep the cost to $5.25 to $5.50 a portion and make money, Taylor said.
The team also fashioned original recipes, mixing various fruits and spices into the liquid base and steeping it overnight. In addition to chocolate and other conventional components, the budding food scientists used balsamic vinegar, ginger and other ingredients. The most popular flavor resulted from their experiments: roasted cherry cardamom.
“It tastes like Fruit Loops,” Lituma said.
Chef Nathaniel Bradshaw, the students’ teacher, said creating the flavors was the funniest part of the effort. “We tasted and tasted,” he said. Bradshaw praised his charges for their hard work and creativity. The resulting product is highly original, “something totally different from ice cream,” he said.
“They did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw said. “For me as a teacher, it’s great to work with these young women and see them grow.”
The team also had assistance from the Union League Café in New Haven and the Connecticut Restaurant Association. The association is thrilled with the students’ success, said Executive director Scott Dulch, noting it’s the first time a Connecticut team has won the contest.
“This is an incredible victory for these young ladies and for their program director, Chef Nathaniel Bradshaw,” said Dolch, who also leads the Connecticut Hospitality Educational Foundation. “I’m so proud of the extraordinary effort displayed by the students, faculty and mentors in winning this award.”
N2ICE LAB is still just a concept, but the young women are free to pitch their idea to investors. Is that happening any time soon?
“You never know,” Lituma said.
Christopher Hoffman can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com
