Warning: World Class Dessert at the Moraga Farmers Market
By Sophie Braccini
Achim Christner and Alessandra Pichelli sample the chocolate orange and the almond vanilla at the Moraga Farmers' Market on Sunday morning Photo Sophie Braccini
"A" is very generous when it comes to sampling her products at the Moraga Farmers' Market. She believes that this is the very best sales strategy, because once you've tried Scream Sorbet, you will never forget it. "You put into your mouth the perfectly smooth and creamy sorbet and it tastes delicious," says Jeff Magidson, a Market aficionado, "and then, in your mouth it's like the flavor expands and you get an absolute tasting sensation that's like nothing I've ever experienced before."
The reasons for the texture and the taste are twofold. The first is the ingredients. "We start with whole fresh ingredients, never frozen, most of which we buy at the farmers' markets where we sell our products," says Scream partner Noah Goldner, "each week, we walk our 27 farmers' markets in search of the best local, organic, and seasonal produce available, head back to our lab to experiment, and then finish by making our sorbet one quart at a time the evening before every market. We want our sorbet to taste exactly like the fresh ingredients that go into it."
The second reason is technological. The creator of the company, Nathan Kurz, has an engineering background and an insatiable curiosity for processes. He started the company around a unique piece of Swiss machinery that pulverizes sub-zero frozen whole ingredients at a rate of 2000 rpm, turning it in seconds into the smallest possible particles, and a small batch of ready-made 12?F sorbet. "That process is not available anywhere in the world for retail ice cream," boasts Goldner, "only a few high-scale restaurants use it." Besides the amazing texture, the process enables the team to experiment easily and endlessly, making and tasting combinations with the ingredients they just purchased.
When your Lamorinda Weekly reporter went to the Emeryville kitchen to investigate this little miracle, Goldner made a few fresh batches to taste; favorites included the fennel lemon and the chocolate hazelnut, almost guilt-free since the scoop of sorbet contains a limited amount of calories.
Scream is just eighteen months old; it sells in 27 local farmers markets and hopes to open a store in the Oakland/Berkley area before Christmas. It is a small operation of 12-15 people. "A," who works the Moraga Farmers' Market, also labors in the kitchen. "Moraga is my favorite Market," she says, "we have ties to the community, Jennifer Lau, the Chef and third partner was raised in Moraga and so were other members of the team. People there are adventurous and they love to sample our creations."
Scream has more than 100 flavors in its catalogue and the number is growing. "We create two or three new ones every week," says Goldner. When we visited, he had just received a batch of sweet potatoes and was looking forward to experimenting.
For the fall, farmers' market goers will be treated to flavors such as quince-cranberry, pomegranate-blueberry, coconut-sweet potato, ginger bread-walnut, and a whole collection of chocolate flavors with nuts and citrus.
"They are a bit pricey," concludes Magidson, "but it is so unique that I feel it is worth it." Scream sells a scoop for $3.00, and a six-flavor sampler for $10.00.
The reasons for the texture and the taste are twofold. The first is the ingredients. "We start with whole fresh ingredients, never frozen, most of which we buy at the farmers' markets where we sell our products," says Scream partner Noah Goldner, "each week, we walk our 27 farmers' markets in search of the best local, organic, and seasonal produce available, head back to our lab to experiment, and then finish by making our sorbet one quart at a time the evening before every market. We want our sorbet to taste exactly like the fresh ingredients that go into it."
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA