Just stopped by. Terrible "sewer" smell when you walk in and a staring employee, lol. Nicely different flavors but no thanks.
This article is very cool. It brings up problems like that there are not enough quality small or chain brands. For example, my passion is chocolate, but sadly many brands like Hershey's or Nestle come with big problems such as FairTrade, child labor, sustainable sourcing, and quality. I would like to see more stories like this and i hope it will inspire everyone.
1
Come to Jackson Heights in Queens, NYC. We have a huge Indian population that I'm sure would enjoy your product here. I'm not Indian but I's be on line to taste your product.
3
For readers who live in the Columbus Ohio area and are interested ice cream inspired by Indian flavors you must try Mardi Gras Ice Cream. It has been there for 17 years and is excellent.
http://radio.wosu.org/post/ice-cream-sprinkle-india-immigrant-columbus#s...
http://radio.wosu.org/post/ice-cream-sprinkle-india-immigrant-columbus#s...
2
Thank-you!!! I drive by their store every day - now I will have to go in and get some ice cream :-)
1
Kwality Walls is a brand name of Unilever.
Kwality Walls is NOT an ice cream.
Kwality Walls is classified as "FROZEN DESSERT" worldwide as in India.
So why is Kwality Walls not classified as Ice Cream.
Simply because Kwality Walls is made by whipping Vegetable Oils into Vegetable cream.
Ice cream is made from dairy milk & not from Vegetable Oil.
Offcouse,it helps to have a Doctorate in Food Technology at Unilever to make Kwality Walls ice Cream er Frozen Dessert.
By the way from when has this brand become favourite of Indians.
There is nothing Natural about the "ice cream"
If you want to try a good ice cream try some of the truly good brands now available in Mumbai(Bombay).
In any case nice article in times of Harvey & Irma
Kwality Walls is NOT an ice cream.
Kwality Walls is classified as "FROZEN DESSERT" worldwide as in India.
So why is Kwality Walls not classified as Ice Cream.
Simply because Kwality Walls is made by whipping Vegetable Oils into Vegetable cream.
Ice cream is made from dairy milk & not from Vegetable Oil.
Offcouse,it helps to have a Doctorate in Food Technology at Unilever to make Kwality Walls ice Cream er Frozen Dessert.
By the way from when has this brand become favourite of Indians.
There is nothing Natural about the "ice cream"
If you want to try a good ice cream try some of the truly good brands now available in Mumbai(Bombay).
In any case nice article in times of Harvey & Irma
3
I have been to this store and the ice cream is nowhere close to Kwality. I have no idea if this is an official partnership or just using their name to attract the crowds.
Now, if someone can bring Natural from Bombay to the stateside (the full name is Natural, Ice Cream of the Juhu scheme) it would be fab.
2
As far as the destruction of a product, Unilever did the same thing in the US when they took over Breyer's ice cream.
11
Don't forget Ben & Jerry's when they sold out. No where near as good as it was. Now they're even finding traces of pesticides (Round Up!) in the brand.
7
Roundup is an herbicide, not a pesticide.
Dr. Parekh please come and open a branch on Chicago's Devon Ave known as "little India". I guarantee that business will be booming.
4
Yes come to Devon in Chicago please!
3
I had a plain vanilla Kwality ice cream cone from a kiosk outside a supermarket in Bangalore, India, several years ago. It was so darn good, and so cheap (less than fifty cents) that I have not been able to forget it. It tasted just as this article describes-high butterfat, lower sugar. I came home months later telling everyone how much better ice cream tastes in India. This branding is confusing--the Indian brand still exists for sure in India--but I'm hoping to give Dr. Parekh's Kwality a try. Good for him for this innovation.
3
Not familiar with this particular brand, but the point about flavors is true. I find the selection of flavors in American ice cream shops to be very poor. A lot of options, but most are junk (to me). Almost everything is overly sugary. When I travel to India I enjoy ice cream in various tropical fruit flavors.
4
I'd eaten Kwality's excellent ice cream in Fremont and never known it was a chain! It's lovely to know the story behind the taste.
3
Pan ice cream is the best!
1
What a feeling to remember the Kwality icecream we had had during our college days in Delhi in the early 60s. It is a great feeling to know that someone is taking up against these thuggish big predatory corporations eating out the elan vital of developing countries. More power to this new venture, we will visit the stores when we visit NJ.
9
I guess the Indian population in and around Chicago doesn't count.
Metropolitan Statistical Area Indian American population (2010)
New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA 826,000
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 253,987
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV 127,963
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 119,901
Metropolitan Statistical Area Indian American population (2010)
New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA 826,000
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 253,987
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV 127,963
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 119,901
3
I live part time in Mumbai.
While Kwality is indeed still available, its popularity - at least from my circle of friends and acquaintances - is slightly exaggerated.
Also, unlike what this article says, I find Indian ice creams in general too sugary.
No food scientist, but the order of flavors to Indian palette appears in reverse of what this scientist claims.
Finally, a note to the NYT proofing editor, Bombay does not exist any more in India - similar to Peking.
Its Mumbai as in Beijing.
While Kwality is indeed still available, its popularity - at least from my circle of friends and acquaintances - is slightly exaggerated.
Also, unlike what this article says, I find Indian ice creams in general too sugary.
No food scientist, but the order of flavors to Indian palette appears in reverse of what this scientist claims.
Finally, a note to the NYT proofing editor, Bombay does not exist any more in India - similar to Peking.
Its Mumbai as in Beijing.
6
Maybe it's because when Raghavan Iyer was eight, it *was* still Bombay. Nostalgia :-)
15
I grew up in India. Kwality ice creams were an occasional treat, not just because they were "outside" food, but because they were not considered all pure and natural. It was rumored that they were thickened with blotting paper, and the flavors (particularly strawberry and pistachio) and colors were completely synthetic. And it was definitely far too sweet! So I think what a lot of us (or at least, I can speak for myself and my friends and family) are nostalgic for are the name and the memories, not necessarily the taste.
1
I agree - Indian palettes tend to prefer extreme sugar in desserts - for example, gulab jamoon, jalebi. Which is why I prefer American desserts over Indian.
Mr. Iyer was referring to his childhood in Bombay, which was called Bombay at that time.
Mr. Iyer was referring to his childhood in Bombay, which was called Bombay at that time.
4
Brought back many taste memories of relishing cold, refreshing and very delicious ice cream at Kwality in the heat of India. Folooda is a special, unique treat. Hard to describe to anyone not Indian.
3
Paludeh (Iranian vermicelli in frozen sugar syrup with lemon juice poured over) was a favorite summer when I lived/worked in Iran in the '70's. Sounds terrible but was delicious! Fond memories.
2
What a lovely story and what a lovely man. I am smiling just reading about it!
18
Kwality's cooked food, particularly at the then-Parliament Street outlet in Delhi in the 1970s, was also wonderful.
2
I tried their ice cream for the first time during a trip to Houston. I was surprised to see a long line outside the store at 11:30 PM. Flavors and taste of ice cream was amazing. Kudos to Dr. Parekh for his passion for ice cream and turning that into a profitable business.
19
The fact that Unilever didn't file a trademark doesn't mean this man can't be sued if Unilever is already using the name in the USA. It just makes the suit more costly and risky, things the giant would care little about. It's odd that the writer doesn't tell us if this man got his own trademark, which would protect him from suit.
5
One would hope he'd trademark it, and quickly. Unilever is likely to be quiet until enough stores and potential for more profit growth is made, and then they'll sue and take it from him, or try.
5
Sounds delicious! Come to India Street in Jersey City. We need you here!
4
How about setting up shop in Toronto?
6
@Matthew, all cooking is transformation and chemistry. Just because formulas were developed doesn't mean the contents of those formulas aren't made up of natural ingredients.
In any case a lovely story about the joys of ice cream and the nostalgic tastes of home.
In any case a lovely story about the joys of ice cream and the nostalgic tastes of home.
26
These are flavors that I have to try. Great mantra!
13
@SaveraD from New Jersey: The article clearly states the flavors are specifically engineered and new liquid formulas were developed with a scientist at Rutgers. That = opposite of “natural”.
3
The article says the "flavor profile" was engineered and goes on to describe how - by upping the butterfat content etc. it says liquid flavors were developed - it doesn't say synthesized. You do realize that the word engineer does not mean synthetic or artificial. And having a formula is using it in the scientific sense of the word for a recipe. Why are people so ready to see red at the sight of trigger words such as engineered or flavor?
36
I love kulfi- and this is supposedly even better??!!
18
Not better, different.
2
kulfi is much much better.
1
Come to NY--we love fennel flavors too. We even have a Curry Hill section.
13
sounds amazing.
5
Kudos to Dr. Parekh for (1) combining chemistry with gastronomy and (2) serving a large community from the Subcontinent. Scientist's imagination is unlimited and Dr. Parekh might yet invent ice cream that tastes like grilled fish or one of the curry dishes. Best of luck!
16
Interesting, but the word 'natural' is missing from the article. So is this ice cream made with artificial flavors/colors? Seems like an important hing for the writer to overlook!
4
Their website notes everything is all natural
10
You must be kidding! The article clearly states that the flavors were created in a laboratory. You could say it is the actual theme of the piece.