As I took the first bite of my Mexican Chocolate ice cream, I knew I made the right decision. The cool sensation melted away the Florida heat. A rich flavor of chocolate and cinnamon coated my mouth. It took me back to Mexico, where the only thing I had to worry about was which hammock to lie in. It was not until I looked up at the chalkboard menu that I realized the ice cream was organic.
Karma Cream is an organic ice cream cafe located at 1025 W. University Ave. It serves more than 30 dairy and more than 25 vegan ice cream flavors.
Vegan Payal Patel and vegetarian Kyle Fick created the shop as an extension of their own personal beliefs. Since it opened in 2009, the cafe has only grown in popularity.
"We're not trying to make people lose weight here," Fick joked. "We are trying to get people to become more conscious about the source of their sweets."
Along with ice cream, the cafe also sells vegan candy bars; sandwiches; and baked vegan and organic items, such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies and cakes. The ice cream is shipped from California and Chicago due to the lack of space. However, Patel does all the baking.
Eating organic is very important for many reasons, Patel said. One advantage is that it is beneficial for personal health.
"You're not ingesting anything artificial," she said. "Let's say you ingest produce, you're not consuming pesticides, herbicides or any type of processed fertilizers. You're really avoiding the use of manufactured chemicals."
Vegan food is free of cholesterol because there are no animal products in it.
"If you have issues with high cholesterol or you are trying to watch your cholesterol, adopting a vegan diet is very beneficial to that," Patel said. "Vegan diets are good because generally it's a lifestyle choice rather than just a dietary choice. It impacts the choices you make in a broader perspective regarding the foods you eat."
People can eat unhealthy on any diet, whether an omnivore or vegan. Balanced diets are important, she said.
Most people consider frozen yogurt to be a healthier alternative because sometimes it is lower in fat and without cream.
"Things that people don't take into consideration are the other ingredients that go into making [frozen] yogurt, like the artificial ingredients, preservatives and fillers that are added," Patel said. "Our dairy ice cream is a full-fat ice cream. It is made with whole cream, milk, eggs and all-natural, organic cane sugar, but that's it. Nothing questionable goes into the ice cream, and I think that really comes out in the flavor when you taste it."
People can pronounce everything that is on the ingredient label. It is not 5 inches long, she said.
Karma Cream researches carefully to make sure it is getting the highest quality ingredients possible.
"Things advertise themselves as all-natural, which can mean almost anything," Patel said. "There's no regulation to the use of that term. Something can be derived from something else that came from a fruit."
She said that by the time the product reaches its end process, it has been synthesized. However, people are allowed to call it all-natural because of its sourcing.
"I like to use my dollar to affect the kind of change I want to see happen," Fick said. "Karma Cream, on a larger scale, is now a producer. I think we can make a bigger difference."
A scoop of organic, dairy-based cardamom ice cream at Karma Cream. The organic ice cream cafe offers a natural spin on favorite treats.
