ICE CREAM QUEEN: A Conversation w/ Lokelani Alabanza & Stéphane Saint Louis
About this Event
ICE CREAM QUEEN: A Conversation w/ Lokelani Alabanza & Chef Stéphane Saint Louis
Join us as we celebrate the release of Lokelani Alananza's first book release! Wine, snacks and a signed copy of Ice Cream Queen included in ticket price.
*Enjoy ice cream flavors using Lokelani's recipes made by Pilar Bernard of Mariapilar Ice Cream
[Pilar Bernard, Owner/Operator creates small batch hand-made ice cream in Petaluma, California in beautiful Sonoma County. Using locally sourced ingredients, she creates seasonal flavors with sustainability as a goal. Pilar is committed and dedicated to a thriving business bringing pleasure, sweet memories and some unique and nostalgic flavors.]
*Enjoy wine from Foppiano Vineyards, included in ticket price.
*Photo credits to Brittany Connery
ABOUT THE COOKBOOK
Back in the 1840s, a free Black woman ran a successful ice cream saloon in Nashville. Her name was Sarah Estell, and she became known as “the Ice Cream Queen.” Now taking up her crown is Lokelani Alabanza, a trained pastry chef and avid collector of all things Black Americana. Her love of ice cream and appreciation for those who preceded her come together in this joyful cookbook.
Ice Cream Queen features Alabanza’s original creations and revamped classics such as Malted Vanilla, Roasted Strawberry, and Mint Chip. Building on simple bases, standout flavors range from boozy and fruity to adventurous and decadent. Recipes include Nashville Hot Chicken, an ode to her adoptive city’s iconic dish; Juneteenth Sorbet, with summer-ripe raspberries and hibiscus flowers; PB&J, a vanilla swirled with peanut butter, strawberry jam, and slices of white bread; Chocolate-Covered Kettle Chip, a crunchy mix of sweet and salty . . . and many more.
A love letter to generations of Black ice cream makers, this cookbook offers something entirely new: ice cream as an act of memory, identity, and Black excellence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lokelani Alabanza’s professional culinary journey started in the United States, at the New England Culinary Institute. From there, her love of food has taken her around the world. From her first kitchen job in Denmark to her time working as a private chef in Japan, her travels have expanded her palate and refined her ability to create incredible food.
Today, she creates beautiful flavors that spur the imagination while educating consumers about African American culinary history. She has been featured in Bon Appetit, Milk Street Radio, Wirecutter, Food 52, NPR, Oxford American, The Sewanee Review and CherryBombe Magazine. Lokelani is excited to share her view of the world through Saturated, her own brand of plant-based ice cream.
ABOUT CHEF STÉPHANE SAINT LOUIS
Chef Stéphane Saint Louis is the executive chef and co-owner of Table Culture Provisions in Petaluma, where his refined, ingredient-driven cuisine celebrates the bounty of Northern California. Born in New York, raised in Haiti, and educated at the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse in France, he honed his craft in Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe and California before opening his acclaimed restaurant, where his thoughtful approach blends classical French technique with the region's exceptional seasonal ingredients.
Editorial Reviews
"Ice Cream Queen honors the brilliance of Black cooks and confectioners whose creativity shaped America's sweetest traditions. Lokelani brings their stories forward with a tenderness that carries me back to my own childhood summers―when flavors like Summer Peach, Butter Pecan, and Salted Watermelon held moments of pure joy. Filled with inventive recipes and deeply researched history, this book shines a long-overdue spotlight on the creators whose contributions helped define the nation's dessert culture. More than a cookbook, Ice Cream Queen is a vibrant celebration of culture, community, and a reclaimed culinary legacy."
― Cheryl Day, author of Cheryl Day's Treasury of Southern Baking
"From the first time I had a bite of Lokelani Alabanza’s ice cream, I knew she was mixing up a special concoction at the intersection of history, memory, and nostalgia. Some of the flavors she offers in this book are pulled from the pages of America’s ice cream past for us to rediscover. Others are new inventions that speak to a collective memory of American culture. But her recipes explore how the flavor of Black culture are intrinsically American; each one feels familiar because our cuisine couldn’t exist without them."
― Sarah Lohman, author of Endangered Eating
"Ice Cream Queen feels like an homage to my grandmother’s porch―the place where I learned making ice cream is akin to making family and community. It is a gift to read Black people’s intellectual contributions and flavor profiles elevated in a cookbook about this quintessential American treat."
― Ashanté M. Reese, author of Gather
"Ice Cream Queen is a beautiful ode to a frozen, churned and unmistakably American treat. When you think about what embodies Americana cuisine you can skip past burgers and hotdogs and let Alabanza guide you through the richness of Black history told through flavors that have shaped generations."
― Paola Velez, author of Bodega Bakes
This event is put on with love by Emily Haws.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 65.87
