New Cookbook 'Ice Cream Queen' Explores Black Americans' Role in Ice Cream History

Lokelani Alabanza, a pastry chef based in Nashville, has launched her first cookbook, titled 'Ice Cream Queen: Flavors from Black America's Past, Present, & Future,' through W. W. Norton & Company. This work highlights the significant role of Black Americans in the ice cream industry, drawing inspiration from historical figures such as Sarah Estell, a free Black woman who operated a prosperous ice cream saloon in Nashville during the 1840s, earning the nickname 'Ice Cream Queen.' Alabanza, who has experience at Campanile, Grace in Los Angeles, and Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Las Vegas, took on the role of culinary director at a Nashville creamery around 11 years ago. Influenced by Toni Tipton-Martin's 'The Jemima Code' and the Southern Foodways Alliance's Gravy podcast, her cookbook features a recipe for Juneteenth Sorbet, made with hibiscus and raspberries, representing the sacrifices of enslaved individuals. Juneteenth, observed on June 19, commemorates the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.