Ice Cream Queen
Flavors from Black America's Past, Present, & Future
An ode to Black joy and creativity with 100 wildly inventive ice cream, sorbet, and nondairy recipes.
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.
What People Are Saying
“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
“Lokelani Alabanza’s Ice Cream Queen is a gift to all 21st century ice cream enthusiasts. As one of a few Black-owned ice cream parlor owners, I cannot wait to point my peers and customers to the pages of Lokelani’s book, as they record our past and chart our future.” —Petrushka Bazin Larsen, founder of Sugar Hill Creamery
"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
Photos by Brittany Conerly
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About
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.
It was in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of renowned pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind, that Loke’s passion for pastry cooking was ignited. There, she worked with Dahlia Narvaez and Nancy Silverton at the now-shuttered James Beard award-winning restaurant Campanile, before landing in Nashville, as Culinary Director for a local creamery. Lokelani’s time there grew both her passion for ice cream, expanded her experience (where she created over 300 flavors), and her love of integrating nostalgia into her cooking.
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. She is the author of Ice Cream Queen: Flavors from Black America’s Past, Present & Future.