Calabasas, California Froyo Guide

Twist, Calabasas

Fro-yo girl here. Calabasas, CA in northeast Los Angeles County used to be a pretty good spot for froyo, considering that it’s small (the population is approximately 23,000). The Menchie’s in Calabasas was the first Menchie’s location that I ever visited. It opened in 2009 and was a popular spot for celebrity sightings. COVID-19 likely led to the permanent closure of the last froyo shop in Calabasas, Peachwave. Golden Spoon was the oldest froyo shop in town.

Froyo Shops of Calabasas

• Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, 22259 Mulholland Hwy, may have opened in 2008 as a counter-serve froyo shop (and part of the chain that started in Orange County). The shop changed ownership in 2017 and closed in summer 2019.
• Menchie’s, 4776 Commons Way Ste D, opened at The Commons in 2009 and closed in February 2020, when the lease expired.
• Peachwave, 5755 Las Virgenes Blvd., was the first Peachwave location to open in California. Peachwave is a self-serve froyo chain founded in Oklahoma in 2009. The shop closed for good in March 2020.
• Twist Frozen Yogurt, 26777 Agoura Road, opened in 2011 and closed in late January 2014. It was a good self-serve froyo shop with lots of tart froyo flavors and lots of flavors of mochi. They had more flavored mochi than other froyo shops back when flavored mochi was hard to find.

So, there are no more froyo shops in Calabasas. If you want froyo or something similar in Calabasas today, you have a few options. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, 4751 Commons Way, Ste A, has wonderful scoopable tart froyo and or Pressed Juicery, 23500 Park Sorrento, offers Freeze, their non-dairy, plant-based soft serve.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Golden Spoon Returns to Valencia, California

Fro-yo girl here. Golden Spoon has returned to Valencia/Santa Clarita as of May 30. The new location is at Northpark Village Square, a shopping center anchored by Ralph’s. It’s counter-serve with 10 flavors a day. They also serve coffee and sell sweet treats. And they’re open early, so you can have froyo for breakfast. A mini is $4.50, regular $5.50, large $6.50 and toppings $1.50. For toppings they had fresh fruit, chocolate chips, candy, sprinkles, nuts, popping boba, cheesecake, fruit, cookie dough, mochi, brownies, etc.

The shop looked nice and modern with a mostly white color scheme and framed pictures of froyo. And yes, they had golden spoons. And a reward program. I didn’t notice any opening day specials. It’s also hard to see the shop because of the lack of exterior signage.

The old Golden Spoon in Valencia was located at the Tesoro Village Shopping Center, at 23886 Copper Hill Dr, Valencia, CA 91354. It was open from 2016 – 2021. There was also an older location at River Oaks Shopping Center, 24317 Magic Mountain Pkwy that closed in 2017 and Stevenson Ranch at 24921 Pico Canyon Rd, Stevenson Ranch that also closed in 2017. I’m confused about the difference between Valencia, Santa Clarita, and Stevenson Ranch, but they’re all close to each other.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GOLDEN SPOON: 27748 McBean Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91354

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurt Mochi Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yasso launched a new line of frozen Greek yogurt mochi last month. I’ve been looking for it at Target, Vons, Ralph’s, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Gelson’s, and other supermarkets in Los Angeles. No luck. However, Yasso is currently offering free shipping and two free boxes (one box of mochi, one box of Poppables), so I ordered the mochi online.

Yasso frozen Greek yogurt mochi is the first of its kind; it features creamy frozen Greek yogurt wrapped in fluffy, sweet rice dough. Each mochi is 80 calories, is gluten-free, and is made with all natural ingredients. And yes, each contains live and active cultures. A pack of 6 mochi has a suggested retail price is $5.49. Each mochi is individually wrapped. 

• Mango: Tasted like ripe mango, almost floral.
• Strawberry: The strawberry flavor was “off” for me and I love strawberries. It had a less than pleasant aftertaste. I know it’s made with strawberries but they didn’t taste ripe.
• Vanilla: Sweet with lots of vanilla flavor
• Chocolate: I don’t like chocolate ice cream but this one was really good, like a dark chocolate – richer and not as sweet. Lots of chocolate flavor!

Available flavors: Mango, Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate

Yasso’s mochi are as tasty as or better than most of the ice cream mochi out there – at least the vanilla and chocolate flavors. The rice dough shell was thin, soft and chewy. The mochi had plenty of froyo. The froyo was firm and fairly creamy.

One mochi (vanilla) is 80 calories, 0g total fat, 16g total carbs, 11g total sugars, and 2g protein.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt Opens Pop-Up Stand at Grand Central Market in Downtown LA

 

Fro-yo girl here. Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt, a Seattle-based family business, opened at Seattle’s Pike Place Market in late 2013. Family owned, their probiotic Greek style yogurt is handcrafted using traditional methods and local ingredients, including local milk and local honey. The yogurt is all natural and does not use thickeners, stabilizers, or gelatins. It’s rich because they use whole milk.

In recent years, their distribution has expanded considerably to the point where you can find Ellenos in many markets in Southern California, including Gelson’s, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Vons and more. But Pike Place was the only Ellenos scoop shop – until now.

Ellenos has opened a scoop shop at Grand Central Market in downtown LA. The stand is open from 9 AM – 5 PM Thursday – Sunday from now until March 2023. Look for the Kobe mural. It’s near the oyster stall and Sari Sari Store.

They have eight flavors of Greek yogurt to choose from and three sizes. Most of the flavors are the ones that I’ve seen in grocery stores, so there isn’t anything too unique about the stall. But you can mix flavors, try samples, and buy Ellenos gear there. I wish they had some good toppings, like an exclusive granola, seeds, fresh fruit, etc., that you could add to the yogurt.

The yogurt is rich, creamy, and heavy. It’s on the sweet side as well. I like the tanginess of the Key Lime Pie flavor and the crumble/pie crust on top. 

Sizes: Walkaround, $5.50, Medium, $8.95, Family, $16.95

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* ELLENOS: 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Birthday Stickers and a New Topping at Yogurtland

Fro-yo girl here. FYI, Yogurtland has two new birthday sticker designs: the pink froyo cup and the yellow froyo cup. Ask a Yogurtland team member for your sticker on your birthday. I think they’re supposed to give you one when they see you have a birthday reward. The stickers are available while supplies last.

I also tried the new fried egg gummies. They’re very chewy! They're peach-flavored.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Yogurtland Brentwood (Los Angeles) Space Is For Lease

 

Fro-yo girl here. It looks like Yogurtland’s days in Brentwood at 11706 San Vicente Blvd. are numbered. There’s a for lease sign in the window. The shop is still open but it’s unclear for how much longer. They opened in 2010, back when Pinkberry was across the street. The Pinkberry space is now Pressed Juicery. Perhaps they’ll move? Or negotiate a new lease.

But the signs point to a closure: most of the recent reviews are negative, no one is updating the flavors on the Yogurtland website, online ordering is not offered, and they aren't putting up signs for the most recent promotions, like the new Strawberry Banana frozen yogurt. 

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Meltémi Premium Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Meltémi is a new Greek yogurt brand that launched last year. They make their Greek yogurt in the US with yogurt cultures from Greece and simple, all natural, non-GMO ingredients. The yogurt is gluten-free, probiotic, and high protein.

The company describes their mission as follows: “We made Meltémi because we believe authentic Greek yogurt tastes better and is better for you. We made it to share that wonderful experience we had growing up with all of you. We want you to fall in love with Greek yogurt like we did. Meltémi is the yogurt we make for our families. We hope you will enjoy it with yours.” The company is women-owned.

I don’t think Meltémi has a distributor in Southern California yet, but I found their yogurt at Grocery Outlet in South Pasadena. There was no shelf tag but I think it was $0.69 cents for a 5.3 oz cup. At Giant, one cup is $1.49. They have a traditional line and a lower sugar line. Grocery Outlet had both lines.

Traditional Blueberry Fruit on the Bottom: The texture was thick and creamy, like Greek yogurt usually is. There were whole blueberries and a blueberry sauce. The yogurt wasn’t too sweet – it had some tang and some sweetness. There was a pasty quality that coated my tongue that I didn’t love. Other than being a little less sweet and pastier, the yogurt did not stand out. One serving is 5.3 oz, 120 calories, 0g total fat, 14g total carbs, 12g total sugars, and 12g protein. 3 out of 5 stars.

Lower sugar strawberry: The texture was thick and creamy but the Stevia made it taste far too sweet but in a fake way. Yes, Stevia is a natural plant, but I don’t like how sweet it is. The strawberries were blended in and there wasn’t much strawberry favor. I could not finish one serving. One serving (150g) is 100 calories, 0g total fat, 7g total carbs, 4g total sugars, and 13g protein. 2 out of 5 stars.

Traditional line flavors: Blueberry, Cranberry Blueberry Raspberry, Orange Mango, Peach, Strawberry, Vanilla

Lower sugar flavors: Plain, Strawberry, Blueberry

I’ve had better Greek yogurt and I’m disappointed that Meltémi chose to use locust bean gum and corn starch as thickening agents. I hope they don’t use Stevia to sweeten yogurt in Greece.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Jeni’s Sunshine Frozen Yogurt Flavor

 

Fro-yo girl here. Jeni’s just brought back their Sunshine flavor for the month of May in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. They call it ice cream, so while I remember when Sunshine was first introduced last year, I didn’t think I had to try it. But guess what? Sunshine is made with cultured buttermilk and yogurt. It is frozen yogurt!!!

Sunshine is described as tasting like “sunshine on a cloudy day.” It’s a muted grey color but tastes tropical - like “sun-kissed lemon and sweet-tart tangerine with radiant passion fruit.”

Sunshine Froyo: It tastes like the description. I tasted the lemon first, then the tangerine, and finally the passion fruit. The texture was super thick, smooth, rich, and creamy. It was tangy, sweet, and bright without being sour. If you love citrus and yogurt, you’ll love it. I personally loved the gray color – so unusual.

A portion of the sales of Sunshine will go to a non-profit, On Our Sleeves. On Our Sleeves mission is to raise awareness of and spark conversations about children’s mental health by providing free educational resources to families.

Sunshine is available for a limited time in shops and online.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Pressed Freeze Flavor, Rosé, New Golden Rosé Freeze Sundae, and New Beverages

Fro-yo girl here. Pressed has a few new beverages: Saffron Badam, Horchata Azul, and Morir Soñando. I love Saffron Badam, which features an almond and walnut base, with curry, saffron and ground cardamom. It tastes like the badam milk I got from the Indian store only better.

There’s also a glamorous new Freeze flavor, Rosé, and a glamorous new topping, gold dust. The Golden Rosé Freeze Sundae which features Rosé Freeze, strawberries, cacao drizzle, and a sprinkle of gold dust. Rosé Freeze is made with strawberry puree, apple puree, agave, and rosé wine flavor. It’s non-alcoholic.

Rosé Freeze: I’ve never had Rosé so I’m not sure what it tastes like – but Rosé Freeze was thick and surprisingly sweet. It tasted like a strawberry peach sorbet to me though it isn’t made with peaches. Vanilla Freeze is still my favorite even though it’s icier than Rosé Freeze. It also tastes cleaner than Rosé Freeze. Try the gold dust though – it’s a fun topping!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Yogurtland’s New Plant-Based Blueberry Pancake Flavor

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland has a new plant-based flavor, Blueberry Pancake! Yogurtland describes it as follows: “Inspired by delicious blueberry pancakes, our new plant-based flavor is made with real blueberries and oat milk.” It’s gluten-free too.

Plant-Based Blueberry Pancake: I was impressed by how thick and creamy this was. Texture-wise, it’s a big hit. It’s thicker than most of their froyo flavors. I also liked the pretty color – it looks like blueberries – a light purple. And it tastes like blueberries with a hint of oats. I don’t taste pancakes but it definitely tastes different than your usual blueberry froyo. It seemed a bit sweeter too. There was no tang. Recommended toppings: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’n Crunch, blueberries, whipped cream. The cereal fits with the breakfast theme and adds a pleasant crunch.

Blueberry Pancake is available for a limited time, while supplies last.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Menchie’s New May Promotions & New Flavor: Vegan Oatly Vanilla

Fro-yo girl here. This May, Menchie’s is bringing back the Cake My Day spoon and based on popular demand, Peppa Pig Cotton Candy froyo. There’s also a brand new flavor, Vegan Oatly Vanilla. And you can order custom froyo cakes for Mother’s Day.

Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve: If you’re into a thick, smooth, creamy texture, Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve delivers on all counts. It doesn’t taste like vanilla ice cream or froyo but has a slightly oaty flavor. The vanilla flavor is very mild, more so than with your typical vanilla ice cream or froyo. It’s rich and satisfying though the flavor is milder than vanilla froyo. It's a little sweeter than usual. Recommended toppings: Granola, nuts, cinnamon.

Vegan Oatly Vanilla soft serve is made with Oatly oat milk and is 100% plant-based. It’s made with no artificial colors or artificial flavors. The soft serve is also gluten-free and contains no high fructose corn syrup. It isn’t froyo and has no live and active cultures.

16 Handles made news by partnering with Oatly to launch multiple plant-based oat milk soft serve flavors. The first ones were introduced in 2020 and they’re still bringing out new flavors. The Menchie’s partnership is the second large froyo chain that Oatly has partnered with.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Mixmi Froyo Review

Fro-yo girl here. Mixmi Froyo is a new froyo product from Mixmi Brands that launched in April. The froyo comes in a 4-pack of 4 fl oz cups and is sold at supermarkets, including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralph's, Smith's, Roundy's, Mariano's, Pick 'N Save, Metro Market, and HEB stores. The product is all-natural, nut-free, and probiotic, with billions of live and active probiotics. Low in calories, Mixmi Froyo also has prebiotic fiber. Mixmi Froyo is a portion-controlled, healthy snack that supports gut health.

I found Mixmi Froyo at Ralph’s in Pasadena, CA for $4.99/box. They had four flavors, including Ultimate Chocolate, Mas Mango, Totally Vanilla, and Orange Dream.

Totally Vanilla Mixmi: The froyo was dense, firm, and creamy. It tasted like vanilla ice cream rather than frozen yogurt. It was too sweet for me but I could see it appealing to many people, especially kids. The flavors they offer don’t interest me though – too mainstream. But it would be good with some Oreo cookies, chocolate shell, or chocolate chips. One serving is 90 calories, with 1.5g total fat, 14g total carbs, 11g total sugars, 3g dietary fiber, and 3g protein.

Ingredients: Milk, cultured milk, sugar, maltodextrin, soluble corn fiber (dietary fiber), natural flavors, cream, locust bean gum guar gum, tara gum

Available flavors: Ultimate Chocolate, Orange Dream, Más Mango, Mint Chocolate, Vanilla Cupcake, and Totally Vanilla

About Mixmi Brands

Mixmi Brands is a family-owned company of food enthusiasts and food scientists. Mixmi Brands develops unique, great tasting products that provide supportive probiotics and prebiotic fiber to you and your family. Visit www.mixmibrands.com for more information or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mixmi_frozen_yogurt/) and Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/mixmifrozenyogurt).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Crumbl Cookies’ Mango Frozen Yogurt Cookie Review

Fro-yo girl here. I remember hearing about Crumbl Cookies’ Mango Frozen Yogurt cookie last year, when I didn’t live near a Crumbl Cookies shop. Crumbl Cookies has been growing like crazy since then and I was finally able to try the Mango Frozen Yogurt cookie this week.

Mango Frozen Yogurt is a chilled mango cookie with a mango yogurt and vanilla swirled frosting. Sounds good, right? The mango cookie is thick and dense, like a sugar/butter cookie. I couldn’t taste the mango or see the mango. But it wasn’t crazy sweet. There was too much frosting but people who go to Crumbl must love frosting. The frosting tasted like vanilla buttercream with a bit of tang and slight fruitiness. For a mango cookie, I could barely taste the mango. And it didn’t taste like frozen yogurt either, but I still like how froyo was the inspiration.

One cookie is $4.50 and the flavors change every week.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.