I was expecting not to like it. Because really, have you ever heard anyone rave about vegan ice cream?ย
But the scoops at Cashew Cow are far from the chalky dry stuff in the carton with the weird coconut flavor. When you dig in with your spoon, they taste creamy and fresh like they're made from actual food products. Really!ย
How does she do it? Jennifer Newman makes her milk with raw cashews, which she insists aren't technically nuts, but give the 'ice cream' a faint richness almost like peanut butter. These tropical seeds are milder in flavor, as opposed to almonds or soymilk products. This means they're easy to mask.ย
While perfecting her recipe, Newman visited alternative ice cream stores around New York, where she lived up until a few years ago. There are a lot of ways to make vegan ice cream: with soy, almond, rice, coconut milk or a combination, but Jennifer didn't see anyone else making it with cashews alone.ย
She's changing the game at a national level, all from her sunny little shop at 16 S. Eastbourne Ave. in the historic Broadway Village. Cashew Cow isn't in an area with high foot traffic, but while we were shooting the video above she had to fight off a constant stream of customers, many before she was even open. (And surprisingly, some of them were children, who are the hardest to please ...)
In the future Jennifer would like to sell her products in stores like Whole Foods, but she's not quite ready to expand just yet. Too bad ... The supermarket could use her!ย
