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| Ryan and Cassandra Berk, Owners, A La Minute Creamery |
I had such a great time interviewing A La Minute for this article. Here
is the transcription of the Q and A for the interview with owner Ryan
Berk;
What’s On Tabetha’s
Plate?
à la Minute Un
a Plus Tard (One Year Later)
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year but Friday, March 1st,
À la Minute celebrated its first Anniversary. Hinting at things to come they planned
to give out house made chocolate covered strawberries and espresso rolled
truffles starting at 4:18 pm. The time commemorated their first ice cream sale
one year ago to the minute.
I arrived right at four and a significant line had already
formed. Owners Cassie and Ryan Berk, ever the hands on husband and wife team,
personally handed out the free goodies smiling and thanking people for being
such great customers. Earlier in the day Ryan and I sat down to discuss the
success of the business and what it means for them to get to work in a
community like Redlands.
TW: What kind of risk did you take to start this business?
RB: I used to work as a Sou chef at Casino Morongo with forty
plus employees under me and Cassie was the controller at Arrowhead Orthopedics.
It was the biggest risk of our lives to leave our careers but we are young and
knew now was the best time to try something new. We rode everything on this
project. We had a mortgage payment but took a chance anyway. We knew if it
failed we could go back out and get jobs elsewhere. So far it has paid off and
been a huge success. We never expected the community to support us like they
did right from the beginning.
TW: What was it like in the beginning?
RB: When my wife and I started the business we had no idea
what was going to happen. We even feared no one would show up. The first three
days it was just the two of us and we were slammed. We called our parents and
they came into help out then our friends and more family showed up so we could
keep our heads above water.
TW: When did you realize you had made it?
RB: After the first month we broke even. We had hoped to do that within the first five
years so we couldn’t believe it but that’s when we knew.
TW: Who makes up your customer base?
RB: I would say ninety percent of our customers are from
Redlands. The local community is a huge part of everything we do. Facebook is
our main marketing ploy. We haven’t paid for marketing at all. We exploit our specials
every week on the Facebook page and people just show up.
TW: Have you had any special guests visit your creamery in
the past year?
RB: Not necessarily anyone famous or a celebrity but we get
a lot of customers coming from LA or San Diego. We have groups of people coming
through doing Yelp tours of highly ranked places in our area and that’s
fun.
TW: What has been most memorable about the last year?
RB: Collaboration has been the best thing and getting to
know people better in the area. The whole year has been a great experience.
Making moscato snow cones with Ryan at the Dregs was a highlight. Being able to
have a European mentality about the food we are creating has been great. The
idea of using what is around you, cheese from the local cheese maker, meats
from the butcher down the street, etc. I
work with Jacinto Farms, Three sisters Farms, Rolling Hills Farms, 123 Farms
and so many local restaurants and vendors.
TW: Speaking of collaboration, I know you work with
Sugarbird Desserts for your cream cheese ice cream topped cinnamon roll muffins
on Sundays and Crepes of Wrath for ice cream topped Crepes at Market night. Who
are you enjoying working with most right now?
RB: All the collaborations have been great. Most recently I
have been doing some things with Saverino’s Deli. We made a great ice cream
using their mascarpone cheese.
TW: I noticed you added homemade waffle cones to the menu
recently and am wondering if anything else new is in the works?
RB: We are making our own chocolate now. The process is
described as “bean to bark” where we make small batches of chocolate. First we
source out beans from an orchard, roast them, crack them, winnow the nibs and
grind the nibs into cocoa liquor. Then we refine, temper and mold the
chocolate.
Right now we make eight to fourteen pounds a week for our
own use in the ice cream but we are currently purchasing equipment that will
allow us to make around one hundred and forty eight pounds a week. Currently
Farm Artisan Foods uses our chocolate in their flourless chocolate cake. In the
next four to five months we are going to open up a separate chocolate shop
downtown. It will have a visible kitchen where people can take tours and see
the whole process up close. Ideally we will become an exclusive chocolate
producer.
TW: How exciting. Are there any plans down the line to
expand or open another ice cream parlor, if at all?
RB: I want to open three to four other locations in Southern
California counties. I don’t want to ever franchise because I want to have
control over utilizing community vendors. We always want to be able to keep a
part of our soul in everything we do.
TW: I know you have a mainstay menu but also do weekly
specials based on what is in season. Over the last year what has been the most
popular flavor you have presented?
RB: Salted Caramel. Every day people go crazy over it. Second
to that is Strawberry Balsamic which we just brought back because strawberries
are in season again.
TW: What has been the least popular flavor?
RB: Nothing has been a flop. Tom Kha Kai ice cream was insane,
so many flavor profiles, but it was extremely well received. It literally
mimicked the Thai soup but without the saltiness. It sold out in one day and I had made enough
for weeks. It was extremely abstract especially for an ice cream but people’s palates
are defining themselves and they are open to all sorts of flavors.
TW: What is your personal favorite ice cream flavor on any
of the menu’s you have created in the last year?
RB: Espresso Chip, and the affogattos that we serve on
Sunday only. Making the affogatto was a labor of love. We collaborated with
Augie’s coffee and it took a month for us to perfect. We pour an espresso shot
over a Madagascar vanilla bean infused ice cream. It has tons of flavor and
tastes a lot like a refined latte.
TW: In a few words can you explain why your ice cream is so delicious?
RB: Liquid Nitrogen. There is a “wow” factor in making the
ice cream in this manner but that isn’t why we use the method. It simply
minimizes the ice crystals and makes the ice cream creamier. It allows us to
have control of flavor.
TW: I know you are involved in all sorts of ad hoc events
and fundraisers and that you do catering. What event have you participated in
that has been most meaningful in the past year?
RB: We did a Ronald McDonald House event in LA and raised a
couple thousand dollars. We also did something similar at Loma Linda Hospital. It’s
always great to see the kids enjoy the process of making the ice cream when
they are going through so much. It takes them out of that painful world for a
moment and lets them enjoy something wonderful.
TW: Why do you think your ice cream has been so successful?
RB: The Redlands community. Our price point is the same as other
chain ice cream stores but we don’t charge sales tax. We may lose less
profitability but it’s worth it. People are coming to an awareness of
supporting what is local and that is what we are all about.
In closing, I have to say I am thrilled that two people with
such an extreme focus on quality and using local ingredients have been so
wildly successful. In many of my interactions with restaurants and food related
events in our area I always hear Ryan Berk’s name mentioned as a champion of
developing partnerships, mutually beneficial relationships and fostering
teamwork among local vendors. He has, in short, become a common thread among
the Redlands food scene and it is to all our benefit. I want to congratulate them and the Redlands
community on how they have supported the good work they are doing both in and
out of their ice cream parlor. I look forward to being a customer for years to
come and can’t wait for what the future brings where they are concerned.
