The Scoop on Frozen Fruit

Photos by ARMANDO RAFAEL / Food Styling by COREY BELLE / Prop Styling by NIDIA CUEVA

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT Chloe Epstein, the picture of glowing health and founder of Chloe’s Soft Serve, one of downtown New York City’s go-to spots for healthy, all-natural frozen treats, was once an attorney, working 100-hour weeks as a high-powered Manhattan prosecutor.

But after having three kids, Epstein decided to retire from her high-stress job and look for a new career—one more in line with her interests, lifestyle, and values.

“I have a major, intense sweet tooth,” she says, “but I’m obsessed with healthy eating.”

Epstein decided to dedicate her time to creating a healthier, nondairy, totally natural alternative to the frozen yogurt craze that’s swept the country over the past half-decade.

It took an entire year of late nights and weekends spent in research and development—working with a culinary engineer to concoct the perfect blend of fruit, purif ed water, and organic cane sugar, and recalibrating soft-serve machines at a plant in New Jersey to optimize the mixture’s light and creamy texture, all achieved sans dairy and artif cial emulsif ers—before Epstein achieved her dessert Valhalla.

All you need is ripe, frozen fruit to make these delicious, creamy vegan desserts.

Along with business partner Michael Sloan and husband Jason Epstein, she launched Chloe’s Soft Serve as a stand-alone shop in late 2010. Today, the delectable soft serve is available in more than 500 retail locations throughout the United States, and Chloe’s Soft Serve “Pops-in-a-Box” are set to launch this summer and will be stocked in select specialty supermarkets around the country.

“It clicked—it made so much sense,” she tells Naturally. “It was everything I was looking for—both self shly, to feed myself and my kids, but also as a career. T is is something I’m passionate about—it’s fun and it’s exciting.” And delicious: Read on for inspiration!

How to DIY Your Own Frozen Fruit Treats: It’s easy to make a dairy-free dessert at home. All you need is a bunch of bananas and a blender.

Step 1:
Ripen your bananas: You want your bananas at their sweetest, so wait until they’re brown and then put them in your freezer. Store them in Tupperware or a plastic bag, sealed well.