Try The Fresh Flavors At Kiniโ€™s Home Style Icecream On E. Fowler Ave.!

Photos by Charmaine George

If youโ€™re looking for fresh ice cream with everything from exotic fruit flavors, โ€” like mango, custard apple and jackfruit โ€” to traditional favorites like Oreo Delight and even vegan options, you should definitely take a ride down to E. Fowler Ave., a few blocks west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., to try Kiniโ€™s Home Style Icecream. 

Owners and Wesley Chapel residents Srinivas and Gauri Kini make all of their tasty ice cream flavors (thereโ€™s always about a dozen available at any time) right in their small store. Srinivas, who prefers to be called Kini, says that Gauriโ€™s family back in India (they are both from Mumbai) was in the ice cream business and when she started making ice cream at home, many of their friends and neighbors told them they had to open a store. 

They started bringing their uniquely creamy creations to local farmerโ€™s markets, including the twice-a-month Fresh Markets at the Shops at Wiregrass. 

โ€œBut, even though we make our ice cream in small batches, we realized we needed a commercial kitchen,โ€ Gauri says, adding that they first started renting time at a commercial kitchen before looking for a small space where they could put an ice cream machine โ€” and, about six months ago, Kiniโ€™s Home Style Icecream was born. 

Even though Iโ€™ve never really been a fan of most fruit-flavored ice cream other than banana and maybe peach, Kini and Gauri had photographer Charmaine George and I sample every flavor in the shop, including rose petal pistachio and Kesar Pista (saffron pistachio), Kaju Draksha (cashew raisin) and Shahi Anjeer (โ€œroyal figโ€), all of which Charmaine loved, plus Sapota/ Chikoo, an evergreen fruit in India which tasted a little like caramel. 

I was surprised at how much I liked the custard apple, which wasnโ€™t custard made from apple, as I expected, but an actual type of apple the โ€œmeatโ€ of which has a consistency a little like custard. Neither Charmaine nor I could really tell a difference between the regular and vegan mango flavors. Thereโ€™s also a tasty vegan Nutty Delight, with almonds, cashews, pistachio and fig. 

My favorites were the Oreo Delight, the bold espresso-flavored Coffee Walnut and the Chocobite, a creamy chocolate ice cream with chunky bits of chocolate. 

Other rotating flavors include Matcha Green Tea, Pink Guava, Blueberry, Honey Lavender, Chai Biscuit, Tender Coconut, Mango Passion Fruit, Vegan Pina Colada and Vegan Strawberry. All of the flavors are available in cups, cones and sundaes and four to-go sizes. Thereโ€™s also a To-Go case (right) with a variety of pre-packed pints.ย 

Gauri says you also can always call the store to find out what flavors are available when you plan to come in and you can even request flavors you want if they arenโ€™t available when you do visit. 

โ€œWe make fresh ice cream every day using only top-quality, real ingredients, with no artificial flavors or colors,โ€ Gauri says. โ€œOur customers tell us they can really taste the difference.โ€ 

All I can add to that is that you definitely should sample flavors you wouldnโ€™t normally order. You just might end up being surprised! 

Kiniโ€™s Home Style Icecream (2017 E. Fowler Ave.) is open Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-9 p.m., and noon-9 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For info, call (813) 728-8430 or visit KinisIceCream.store.ย 

Paleta Mia For Artisan Ice Pops, Waffle Sticks, Shakes & More!ย 


(Clockwise from top left photo) Genesis Bermudez, co-owners Olimar Cedeno & Luis Ledezma and manager Dannelys Zavala invite you to try the new Paleta Mia at the KRATEs.

Although co-owners Luis Ledezma and his wife Olimar Cedeno are from Venezuela, they say they were inspired by a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, to open the first-ever Paleta Mia shop in Wesley Chapel in the KRATE Container Park at The Grove. 

Luis and Olimar already owned the successful Mojo Grill Latin Fusion restaurant at the KRATEs, but when they saw another KRATE directly across from Mojo Grill go out of business, they decided to expand what they already were doing in their Paleta Mia food truck into its own former shipping container.ย 

โ€œWe have been bringing the Paleta Mia truck to schools, local sporting events and even the monthly Market Elaine events at The grove for a while,โ€ Luis said. 

โ€œAnd everyone whoโ€™s tried them have told us how much they enjoy them,โ€ added Olimar. โ€œSo, we figured, why not?โ€ย 

Luis and Olimar agreed that they loved the freshness of the Mexican paletas, but she has added gluten-free and vegan options to a huge variety of not only fruit flavors (like mango, kiwi and pineapple), but also paletas made with Oreo cookies, Nutella, bubble gum flavor and more.ย 

You can add tasty toppings to your favorite paletas, which come in a rotating variety of flavors.

Paleta Mia also offers a variety of delicious toppings, from marshmallows to sprinkles, fresh milk and white chocolate, M&Ms and more. The toppings also can be added to Paleta Miaโ€™s amazing waffle sticks, which Luis said they first tried during a trip to London, although these light and delicious sticks originated in India. 

โ€œBut we added the toppings to make them more mouth-watering, too,โ€ he says. 

โ€œOur whole goal is to offer healthier options using tropical flavors,โ€ Olimar adds. 

To become a master paletera herself, Olimar took classes at both the Pregel Institute in Miami and from Fany Gerson, aka โ€œThe Newyorkina,โ€ a famous master paletera. 

Paleta Mia, which Luis and Olimar hope to expand into a franchise business in the future, also offers delicious hand-made shakes and organic aguas frescas using many of the tropical flavors. The shakes even include a whole paleta! 

โ€œPaleta Mia is dedicated to our 14-year-old daughter Mia, to teach her the importance of hard work,โ€ Luis says. 

Paleta Mia (5854 Goldview Pkwy) is open Mon.-Thur., 3 p.m.-9 p.m., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & noon-7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, see the ad on pg. 37, call (813) 451-6142 or visit MyPaletaMia.com.ย 

Our editorโ€™s favorites are the freshly made shakes & waffle sticks.
Photo provided by Luis Ledezma.

Introducing Astro Craft Ice Creamโ€™s New Ice Cream Chef!

This is just a sampling f the delicious flavors at Astro Craft Ice Cream on S.R. 56. (All Photos by Charmaine George).

It was only six months or so ago when we first told you about the new Astro Craft Ice Cream, located in the same plaza on the north side of S.R. 56 as Mellow Mushroom.

Even so, thereโ€™s so much new happening at Astro that we knew we needed to update that story.

Still owned by Ferdian Jap and Gio Tran, the co-owners of Zukku-San Sushi (located about a 1/4-mile east of Astro) and Ato at the KRATE Container Park, Astro now has a new ice cream chef โ€” Adrian Carter. Carter, who is proud of his love of ice cream, completed an online course through the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts based in Boulder, CO, and also completed the intensive one-week Penn State University Ice Cream Short Course in University Park, PA, now in its 128th year โ€” where representatives of Ben & Jerryโ€™s, Baskin-Robbins, Blue Bell, Haagen-Dazs and many others have learned the secrets of ice cream making.

New Astro ice cream chef Adrian Carter prepares the signature sundae for June (below, left).

โ€œItโ€™s super-competitive,โ€ Carter says of the course. โ€œBut you really learn the best ways to make the best ice cream.โ€

Carter, who first met the Astro owners at their location at Armature Works near downtown Tampa, is proud of the changes heโ€™s already made to Astroโ€™s already delicious flavors and he promises to continue to add new varieties, starting with the unique new passion fruit-raspberry sorbet, which is made with oat milk, โ€œso it still has a creamy, more ice cream-like texture and taste,โ€ Carter says.

He also has made subtle changes to many of my already favorite flavors at Astro โ€” including adding real bananas to the banana pudding peanut butter cookie flavor (which is still my #1 favorite).

Father’s Day-inspired June signature special.
Ube chocolate chunk ice cream cone.

Carter says that most months, Astro offers a new โ€œsignatureโ€ creation. For June (which still has a few days left), the Fatherโ€™s Day-inspired special was the brown sugar whiskey cookie dough (made with a newly upgraded whiskey), with chocolate-covered pretzels, a caramel โ€œflavor shotโ€ and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Also new is the ube ice cream with dark chocolate chunks. Ube is a purple Fillipino yam (sweet potato) with a mellow flavor that blends well with the chocolate.

Astroโ€™s exclusive Cuban ice cream sandwich.
The revamped brownie sundae.

And, despite my concerns, Carter also has begun baking Astroโ€™s brownies and chocolate chip cookies in-house, rather than buying them from Mikeโ€™s Pies. I loved the Mikeโ€™s brownies, but the house-baked brownies are equally delicious, chewy and decadently dense โ€” so good as the base for a brownie sundae with a chocolate, caramel or honey flavor shot.

One thing Carter didnโ€™t mention changing was Astroโ€™s exclusive Cuban ice cream sandwich (above, right), made with Cuban bread from Tampaโ€™s La Segunda Bakery, pressed around Tampa guava cream cheese or creme brulรฉe cafรฉ con lechรฉ ice cream. So good.

Photographer Charmaine George and I both also raved about the cinnamon snickerdoodle marshmallow ice cream, made with marshmallow Fluff, graham crackers and lots of cinnamon. Charmaine said it โ€œtastes like Christmas.โ€ The seasonal flavor for July is red, white & blue vanilla ice cream, โ€œfor the kids,โ€ Carter says, adding that Astroโ€™s mobile ice cream van also is available for catered events. 

Astro Craft Ice Cream (25700 Sierra Center Blvd.) is open Mon.-Thur., noon-9:30 p.m.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sun. For more info, visit AstroCraftIceCream.com, find the location on Facebook or Instagram.

A dish of the new passion fruit-raspberry sorbet with a honey flavor shot.