"ICE CREAM QUEEN is a cookbook that celebrates Black culinary history, creativity, and joy-with ice cream. Nashville-based pastry chef Lokelani Alabanza dives deep into the untold stories of Black ice cream makers and entrepreneurs who have shaped American food culture for generations. At the heart of this journey is Sarah Estell, a free Black woman who ran a successful ice cream saloon in 1840s Nashville. Her legacy-and those of countless others-inspires every ice cream, sorbet, and non-dairy recipe Alabanza creates. From PB&J (with swirls of strawberry compote and sweet white bread) to Easter Basket (folded with Peeps and milk chocolate bunnies), her flavors capture the soul of American nostalgia while honoring Black food traditions. Standouts like Parmesan, a nod to Estells original 19th-century recipe, and Nashville Hot Chicken, made with candied fried chicken skins, break all the rules in the best way. Theres also Juneteenth Sorbet with raspberry and hibiscus, Peach Chili Crisp, Flourless Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream, and more-each one telling a story as bold as its flavor. Designed for home cooks of all skill levels, ICE CREAM QUEEN uses simple bases (of vanilla, chocolate, or coconut milk) as a canvas for flavors that range from boozy and fruity to refreshing and deeply decadent.

Whether youre a history buff, dessert lover, or kitchen experimenter, this cookbook offers something entirely new: ice cream as an act of memory, identity, and Black excellence"-- Provided by publisher.