How Milkster Nitrogen Creamery makes ice cream with liquid nitrogen
Gabi Iuliano, the daughter of Milkster Nitrogen Creamery’s owner, demonstrates the process of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen.
Bob Self, Florida Times-Union
Guests can get a sweet treat and a tasty science lesson with the opening of a unique new ice cream and coffee shop in Jacksonville.
Known for its artisan ice cream custom-made using liquid nitrogen, Milkster Nitrogen Creamery + Coffee recently held its grand opening at 3853 Hendricks Ave. Milkster Creamery is in the newly redeveloped Miramar Plaza near Emerson Street south of San Marco.
The Detroit-based artisan ice cream and specialty coffee shop is the first in Northeast Florida, Kristy Iuliano, who owns and operates the franchise with her husband, Dominick, told the Times-Union.
The Iulianos own the Northeast Florida franchise rights for Milkster Creamery. They have the option of opening future locations in the region. But that won’t happen until the first Jacksonville location has settled in, she said.
Jacksonville is among three Milkster locations either open or coming soon in Florida. The 8-year-old company has six locations open and six others in development nationwide, its website shows.
Countless flavor combinations
“The neat thing about Milkster is that the flavors are totally customizable,” said Iuliano, noting they’ll always have five base flavors, including a vegan gluten-free and a sweet cream which also is gluten-free. Their ice cream bases are crafted with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
Customers can use one of Milkster Creamery’s 14 recipes or create their own ice cream flavor by choosing one of the bases, mix-ins such as fresh fruits, candy or cookie pieces and then toppings.
“The flavor combinations are limited only by the customer’s imagination,” Iuliano said.
Milkster Creamery makes all of its recipes in-house using the sweet cream base. The chocolate flavor is made from high-quality premium chocolate, and for vanilla, they use vanilla bean paste so it’s true vanilla beans creating the flavor. There also are rotating flavors of the week.
“The base flavors can be totally changed by incorporating strawberries into the base. So the customer can make their base or they can make coconut or whatever they would like using the mix-ins,” she said.
Signature flavors at Milkster
Among Milkster Creamery’s signature and proven popular ice cream creations:
- Ferrero Rocher: Cocoa, Nutella and Rice Krispies
- Rich Truffle Chocolate: Pure Ghirardelli cocoa mixed with Milkster’s Michigan cream and topped with cocoa
- Home-cooked Salted Caramel: Premium caramel mixed in Milkster’s Michigan cream then topped with caramel and sea salt
- Almond Delight Vegan: Premium vegan ice cream made with an almond base
- Fresh strawberry: Fresh strawberries and Milkster’s cream
- Biscoff Voyage: Milkster’s cream mixed in with its organic decaf coffee, Biscoff spread and topped with a Biscoff cookie
Iuliano said her personal favorite so far involves mixing peanut butter with the sweet cream base and then adding peanuts or Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for texture. Her husband likes the strawberry cheesecake flavor as well as Ferrero Rocher, which tastes just like the popular candy.
How it works
Using liquid nitrogen, Milkster employees custom-make ice cream while guests watch.
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen — which makes up 78% of the atmosphere — in a liquid state at a temperature of -321 degrees. Using nitrogen results in a creamier ice cream because the process minimizes the size and number of ice crystals in the ice cream, Iuliano said.
The process, she noted, also eliminates the need for extra preservatives and emulsifiers.
A customer comes in, grabs a cup and selects the mix-ins and flavor base and then hands it to the Milkster Creamery employee. The employee will mix it together and then freeze it with liquid nitrogen to create the customer’s one-of-a-kind ice cream. The customer never handles the liquid nitrogen, she said.
“The customer gets to see their ice cream created and become a frozen treat,” Iuliano said. The freezing process takes about 2 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes to get the right consistency, she said.
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First-time franchisees
Milkster Creamery is the couple’s first venture as restauranteurs and entrepreneurs. The Jacksonville store is a family-run business. Kristy Iuliano is a former substitute teacher and Dominick works in the technology field. Their two daughters — ages 21 and 20 — help out at the ice cream shop when they’re home from college.
The Iulianos bought the franchise in 2020 right after their daughters left for college.
“We were empty-nesters and we decided we wanted something that kept us busy and we’ve always had a love for ice cream. So we thought it would be a great idea to have an ice cream shop and we wanted something a little different than just scooping it out of freezer,” Iuliano said.
Their research into ice cream franchises led them to Milkster Creamery. Its liquid nitrogen concept and business philosophy — prioritizing local ownership, community involvement and using premium locally sourced ingredients whenever possible — appealed to them. Not to mention, they also loved the taste of the ice cream.
The Iulianos especially responded to Milkster Creamery’s Cup for Cup program. It’s an ongoing partnership with Hope Water Project and Hope Water International — to help provide the Pokot people of Western Kenya and others in need with clean water as well as other necessities of life. For every cup of ice cream and water Milkster Creamery sells, it donates a cup of clean water by digging water wells for the Pokot people. Milkster Creamery customers help “bring life, health and hope” via the clean water they help provide, according to the company website.
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Milkster Creamery, which has a walk-up window, is open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Iuliano said.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at [email protected].
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