Dessert? Check. Instagram-worthy? Check. Worth a 30-minute wait? Maybe.
One day, I checked Instagram and stumbled onto a food blogger who regularly posts. His post displayed some sort of dessert. But, it was something I have not seen before. Inside his cup, there were rolls of ice cream topped with whipped cream, fudge, brownies, and a wafer. I remember seeing this before when a friend on Facebook posted this video at New York where a worker was making ice cream in what appears to look like a grill but frozen! On the surface, that worker poured milk as if you were making pancakes. After a minute or so, it was frozen. He used a spatula to roll up the frozen milk and place it in a cup. The thought of that kind of dessert was mindboggling, and I wondered if that will be brought to SoCal. A few months later and Chelo Creamery opened!
When Chelo Creamery first opened, I drove by since I worked nearby and saw it packed. I thought it was not a big deal and thought that people were hanging around the surrounding area. My girlfriend and I decided to get Half and Half one day, which is located next to Chelo. I said, “Wait, do you mind if I check out Chelo?” She replied with a nod and we headed inside. Upon heading to the counter, one of the workers at the registered stated that there is a 45-minute wait if I decide to get their signature Chelo Rolls. In my head, I said “F*** that!” and we left for Half and Half instead. We decided we will come back at another time outside peak hours. So, we went on a Saturday afternoon.
The wait was about 15 minutes, which is not as bad as our previous visit. I ordered “Ballin’ on a Fudge It” and my girlfriend ordered “Good-Zooky”. After a 20-minute wait, we finally received our orders! Before digging into our dessert, we paused and took photos for Instagram-sake. After 5 minutes, we were ready to get these desserts in our mouths. Upon taking my first taste of my order, I felt satisfied. It did not “WOW!” me nor left me feeling cheated. I did feel like I had better ice cream at other places. My girlfriend had the same sentiments as I did. Although, her order tasted better than mine and I felt envious. I do know that Chelo Creamery isn’t about its taste. It is about making desserts look good, at which they excel at.
Lately, they released a soft serve yogurt filled taiyaki. I did not get a chance to try it yet, but I will one day! Until then, if you are around the area, I would recommend trying this at least once. However, I highly recommend visiting between lunch and dinner to avoid long waits.
Photos courtesy of Yelp
Chris Cuevo 