Susan Soorenko was on vacation with her two sons and stopped for some particularly good ice cream. "Mom", said the sons, "why don't you bring this back to Virginia?" Soorenko, a fitness trainer, didn't realize they meant a quart of the stuff. She thought they meant, set up a window and sell it. So she approached the company to ship their ice cream across the country. When they told her it was too far and she'd have to learn how to make it herself, she took herself off to Ice Cream University. Yes, there is one. It's in New York.

Eight years on, she has her own ice cream company with an ice cream parlor and café with outdoor tables and deep comfy armchairs inside. Her list of the 'Best Flavors Ever' runs the gamut from a vanilla heavily speckled with vanilla seeds to Honey Lavender and Salted Caramel with Pralines.

"Once I started playing with it, it was just really neat," says Soorenko. "It's a way to express your palate, a way to express foodie-ness without opening a catering company."

Her dairy ingredients come from an organic farm in Pennsylvania and her fruits are grown as locally as possible.

She's the go-to person for chefs who want to create unique ice creams and sorbets for their menus. She loves working with them. One of her regulars is Foteos “Frank” Maragos of upscale Foti's in Culpeper who used to be executive sous chef at The Inn At Little Washington. Chefs will ask her what she thinks about  the possibilities of a garlic and mojito sorbet. Or maybe a beet ice cream flavored with a little cayenne for an elusive bite. She loves to be in the kitchen experimenting.

But what really thrills her is when she's in her cafe and incognito. "And someone takes a taste of their ice cream and their eyes roll back. That's like a rush straight to the brain for me." At a tasting she was giving in a store she spotted a woman at the edge of the circle who seemed withdrawn and tentative. Once she'd let her ice cream melt in her mouth, Soorenko heard her whisper under her breath, "Psychiatrists ought to prescribe this for depression."

Nobody, says Soorenko, eats ice cream and leaves cranky.

Moorenko's Ice Cream Café, 8060b Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, 301 565 8050.

1 Comment

1. Matt

   I needed a fairly large ice cream cake for a friend's birthday (and in a hurry!)
   
   Susan went out of her way to make sure it was done faster than they normally guarantee, and even took me into the room where they were finishing up the chocolate ganache crust on top, explaining the whole ice cream cake process in detail.
   
   The cake was fantastic, and their service is worthy of even more praise. Moorenkos is the best!