Thai rolled ice cream trend arrives in Elgin
You won't find any ice cream when you first walk into Fanny's Thai Roll Ice Cream in downtown Elgin, but it will be in your hands by the time you walk out.
The store offers 15 varieties of freshly made ice cream - as in, each customer gets a serving made before their eyes - served into the shape of rolls with various fruit and cookie toppings.
The business at 7 N. State St. is the second ice cream store for co-owner Fanny Ng of Algonquin, who said she opened a first location in February in Chicago's Chinatown. The Elgin spot had been vacant for about two years after the closure of La Rosita Bakery.
Thai ice cream, also called stir-fried ice cream, is made by pouring a mixture of milk, egg yolks, heavy cream and sugar onto a subzero freezing surface, sometimes called an "anti-griddle," where it hardens. Employees use spatulas to mash, flatten and roll the ice cream, which comes in flavors like green tea, papaya, Nutella, mango, strawberry, Oreo and more.
"It's all fresh fruit, every day, and the milk we get every day, fresh," Ng said.
The dessert became popular in Thailand a few years ago, first spreading to Asian countries and then to the United States in the last year or so. Ng said she first tasted it in New York City.
"I liked it and I decided, 'I want to open one in Chicago!'" said Ng, a native of China who also co-owns Elgin Buffet on McLean Boulevard.
The Elgin store opened about two weeks ago with no advertising, simply relying on word-of-mouth, Ng said. The space is bright and cheery, with dance music pumping through speakers. Teenagers have been stopping by after school and the weekends already are busy, she said.
Employee David Rivera, 20, of Elgin, said he'd never heard of Thai roll ice cream until he walked into the business looking for a job. "Sometimes it's very tiring," he said of making the ice cream, "but once you get the hang of it, it's second nature."
His co-worker Brenna Hurley, 20, of Elgin, agreed, saying her job "Has changed the way I look at ice cream."
Fanny's Thai Roll Ice Cream is open noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.