626 Night Market Dessert Roundup

Fro-yo girl here. This was my second visit to the 626 Night Market, “the original and largest Asian-themed night market in the United States.” It’s as crowded and crazy as ever but there is food everywhere and so many desserts. What’s nice about the 626 Night Market is that it has become a showcase for new Asian food/dessert trends. The trendy foods are the most popular.

Most of the desserts featured ice cream but in different forms and it was clear that the crowds appreciated novelty. Here’s an overview of the ice cream/froyo offerings: 

• Choctal: prepackaged chocolate and vanilla single origin ice creams
• Crescendo Ice Cream: nitrogen infused ice cream isn’t that novel any more but they also had Singaporean style “ice cream bread.” Ice cream bread features ice cream served with a slice of soft bread. You’re supposed to fold the bread around the ice cream. In Singapore they like using rainbow colored bread with a block of ice cream. Crescendo used plain white bread.
• Dolcissimo: ice cream macaron sandwiches – these were popular of course, the Cookies & Cream one sold out first.
• Frach’s Fried Ice Cream Truck: a decadent creation – ice cream in the middle, cake shell and a crispy fried batter
• Ice Cream Garden: I knew that potted drinks were a trend but now there’s potted ice cream. I don’t really get it. They’re cute I guess.
• Matcha Mochi: Froyo! Matcha Mochi had two flavors, matcha green tea and English Earl grey. You could get a cup ($4) or add toppings (Chinese chewy boiled rice balls, red bean paste, fan waffle cookie) for an additional $2. Both froyo flavors were nice – strong tea flavor, creamy, light texture. The yogurt flavor was overwhelmed though. 
• Melting Fire: crossnut ice cream sandwich (a croissant donut ice cream sandwich)
• Ridges Churro Bar: different kinds of churros plus churro ice cream
• Three Twins: organic prepackaged ice cream
• UniqCone: ice cream J shaped hooks – this strange looking double-ended creation features a corn puff cone that’s filled with soft serve vanilla ice cream (but could easily be filled with froyo). The design eliminates drippy cones. UniqCone makes its own cones and the soft serve machines are modified to make it easy to fill the cones. The J-shaped “Jipangyi” cones started on the streets of Korea…like so many food trends.

None of the dessert or boba places was as popular as Main Squeeze lemonade; people wanted the light up mason jars. RAMNUTS (ramen donuts made with horchata marinated deep fried ramen noodles, stuffed with cream cheese, chocolate or strawberry fillings, iced and  topped with sprinkles) and potato tornadoes on a stick were also extremely popular. 

On the savory side, shark tacos, frog fries, pig feet on a stick, and pho waffles sounded intriguing.

The next 626 Night Market dates are August 7-9 and September 4-6 at the Santa Anita Park (the racetrack). Free parking. Admission is $3. 

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 Sweet Treats Sodalicious Spoons

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland’s Sweet Treats” campaign launched on July 6. The first of five new collectible limited edition Candy Crush spoons is available now. It’s an orange spoon that says Sodalicious on it and is topped with an orange soda bottle. The Sodalicious spoon is a perfect match for the new Orange Fizz Sorbet.

Four more collectible Candy Crush spoons will be part of the campaign and they’ll be released every two weeks. The release dates are July 20 (Blue Candy Bear Tasty spoon), August 3 (Purple Flower Candy Sweet spoon), August 17 (Red Candy Fish Divine spoon) and August 31 (Blue Round Candy Sublime spoon).

Here’s a picture of the Sodalicious spoon (front and back, of course).

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 & Candy Crush Present Sweet Treats

Fro-yo girl here. The new Yogurtland & Candy Crush “Sweet Treats” campaign just launched today and the summer just became much sweeter.

First up, the two new flavors are Maple Donut froyo and Orange Fizz sorbet.

Maple Donut: “We took the warm, doughy magic of a maple donut and one-upped it, transforming this classic indulgent flavor into froyo form.” A warm, sweet maple flavor; I didn’t sense too much of the donut but it did taste like maple frosting. It tastes better than donuts because it isn’t as sweet.

Recommended toppings: Frosted donuts, almonds, chocolate chips, whipped cream

Orange Fizz Sorbet: “Swap your straw for a spoon and dip into a delicious Orange Fizz Sorbet. Made with real oranges and packed with vitamin C for Sugar Crush flavor.” Sweet and summery, it tastes like orange soda but not as sweet - the fizz is there but it’s not overpowering.

Recommended toppings: Condensed milk, yogurt chips, mochi, blue raspberry candy bears

The Candy Crush inspired toppings are: Chocolate Wafer Wharfs (wafer roll cookies), Sugary Squirms (sour gummy worms), Blue Raspberry Candy Bears (gummy bears) and Frosted Donuts.

The new collectible limited edition spoon is orange. It says Sodalicious on it and is topped with an orange soda bottle.

The new cup design is pink and has images from Candy Crush like a big blue raspberry candy bear, a donut dragon and a girl probably on Lemonade Lake.

Visit YogurtlandSweetTreats.com for your chance to win free yogurt for a year or an unlimited cup of froyo.

Check out the Pinterest board, Yogurtland Candy Crush, for #YogurtlandSweetTreats pictures

The next new flavors, Blue Raspberry Sorbet and Chocotastic Sorbet, arrive on July 20.

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.

Final Days: IFYA's Instagram Video Contest Seeks Froyo Swirling Stars

Fro-yo girl here. Are your froyo swirls worthy of admiration? Can you show others how to improve their froyo swirling skills? The International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) is looking for you. The IFYA is looking for froyo swirling stars to inspire others to improve their swirling skills.

The two lucky winners will win free froyo (1st prize: 100 ounces of froyo, 2nd prize: 50 ounces of free froyo) and receive official recognition as Froyo Swirling Stars.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Make an Instagram video that shows how to make the perfect froyo swirl. Be sure to explain how to achieve that perfect swirl (you can describe your technique in your Instagram caption) and clearly show that your swirl looks picture perfect. 
2. Follow @intlfroyoassn on Instagram and tag your videos #FroyoSwirlingSkills. Share your video by July 7, 2015 - time is running out.

THE PRIZES

• First prize: Gift cards for 100 ounces of free froyo from Yogurtland
• Second prize: Gift cards for 50 ounces of free froyo from Yogurtland

ELIGIBILITY AND RULES No Purchase is Necessary. 

You can enter as many times as you’d like. The video you submit should be your own, a video that you created for this contest.

The contest ends July 7, 2015 at 11:59 PM PST.

Contestants must be at least 18 years old.

For complete rules, see: http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/official-rules-for-the-froyo-swirling-skills-contest/

Good luck!

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 Berry Fresh Flavors at Pinkberry: Blueberry and Strawberry Margarita

Fro-yo girl here. Pinkberry has declared it a “berry good summer” and introduced two new berry fresh flavors. Hello new flavors!

Strawberry Margarita (it’s non alcoholic) is described as fruity + citrus and is “swirled, not shaken. It’s made with real strawberries, lime juice sprinkled with triple berry salt topping for a fun margarita like experience.” The berry salt wasn’t available at my Pinkberry (it’s on the way though). This flavor is  intriguing – it tastes like strawberries and a carbonated citrusy flavor – not straight strawberry + lime, there’s something else going on. It’s got a definite tang, stronger than most Pinkberry flavors.

Blueberry: “Blueberry Pinkberry is made with real blueberries and offers a fresh and fruity flavor that is bound to be a new summer favorite .” I’m happy that they finally make a Blueberry flavor and it’s very good. You can see bits of blueberries. It’s light, smooth and sweeter (yet still tart based).

Suggested toppings: Fresh berries, shortbread cookies, yogurt chips, mochi, almonds

They didn’t have new toppings (except the berry salt which hadn’t arrived yet) or new shakes, but I learned that the shortbread cookies and popcorn are going away soon.  I love the shortbread cookies…they have a slight saltiness that goes so well with froyo.

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.

Expansion of Ralph’s Westwood Village Includes Self-Serve Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Where can you find the largest Ralph’s supermarket in California?  The answer is Westwood Village, at the former location of Bullock’s, on the edge of the UCLA campus. This location is a monster – it looks like a merger of more than one market because one side looks different from the other.  That’s because it was expanded by 40,000 square feet in November 2014.

The Ralph’s of the future/Ralph’s 2.0 is open 24 hours and includes a several prepared food bars (including an organic salad bar), Cork & Tap wine and beer bar with flatscreen TVs, walk in wine vault, Murray’s Cheese counter, staffed sushi bar with counter dining and the Dessert Bar.

The Dessert Bar had its grand opening on Friday, June 26. The staffed area features gelato, cupcakes, a self-serve froyo bar and toppings. It’s the first Ralph’s with a self-serve  froyo bar. There are 10 flavors on tap (housed in five Electro Freeze machines) and a middle handle to swirl two side by side flavors together. The froyo is from Dannon. The flavor signs have nutritional information. The yogurt had a nice creamy, smooth texture (the same Dannon yogurt at Rite Aid, which uses Stoelting machines, was icy and gritty). They had sorbets and no sugar added options as well.

The toppings bar is smaller but they offer some healthy items like hemp seeds, pecans, almonds and fresh fruit, along with candy, cookies, marshmallows, chocolate chips and syrups (even Nutella). Froyo and toppings are 45 cents an ounce.

They’ve done a nice job with the Dessert Bar. Having it staffed helps a lot. The staff person was friendly and offered samples. Plus he kept the area clean.

This Ralph’s also has an excellent select of fresh yogurt and packaged frozen yogurt – it’s like they’re trying to carry everything. 

Get two hours free parking in the parking lot with validation.

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

* RALPH’S FRESH FARE: 10861 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA 90024

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 Candy Crush Sweet Treats Campaign Preview

Fro-yo girl here. I’m back from the Yogurtland Candy Crush preview party at Yogurtland HQ! The “Sweet Treats” campaign (#YogurtlandSweetTreats) launches on July 6 and runs through September 13. I’ll have the full scoop later but I have lots of details already.

New Candy Crush inspired flavors: The new flavors are inspired by the Candy Crush game. Every two weeks Yogurtland will introduce two new flavors (on Mondays…mark your calendar). The new flavors with release dates are:

• Orange Fizz Sorbet (July 6)
• Maple Donut (July 6)
• Blue Raspberry Sorbet (July 20)
• Chocotastic! Sorbet (July 20)
• Salted Caramel Gelato (August 3) – it’s cultured
• Candy Clouds (August 3)
• Lemonade Lake (August 17)
• Cupcake Carnival (August 17)
• Butterscotch (August 31)
• Minty Meadow (August 31)

Candy Crush inspired toppings: Sugary squirms, candy fish, color bombs and blue raspberry candy bears, frosted donuts and chocolate wafer wharfs 

New collectible spoons: There are five new designs. I don’t know the names but the spoons are topped with items you see in the Candy Crush game. There’s a blue candy, teal bear, orange soda bottle, red candy fish and a purple flower candy.

New collectible cups: You’ll see two collectible cup designs. Look closely at my pictures. You’ll see the cups and the new spoons.

Launch parties: Select Yogurtland locations will have launch parties! I’ll share the locations once I have that info.

Sweet Treats Sweepstakes: You’ll have a chance to win instant prizes like free froyo for a year and the unlimited cup of froyo

Preview party: The preview party at headquarters was attended by various bloggers, mostly lifestyle/mom bloggers. Yogurtland had most of the new flavors on tap, gift bags, temporary tattoo station, photo booth and prize wheel. Attendees received a Yogurtland Platinum card too (I got mine years ago!). 

All of the flavors were very good. My friend and I liked Maple Donut froyo best – it’s not as sweet as a real donut and had a lovely, warm maple flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by Cotton Clouds – it tastes way better than cotton candy because it’s not cloyingly sweet and has more flavor than cotton candy. Orange Fizz Sorbet brought back memories of drinking orange soda as a child. Salted Caramel Gelato had a subtle amount of salt and richer, denser texture. The frosted donut was too much…too sweet…

The temporary tattoos featured Yogurtland and Candy Crush. The photos said Sweet Treats on them. I love the cute Candy Crush socks – they won’t be sold at Yogurtland but they don’t say Yogurtland on them so I’m not too devastated. Yogurtland staff wore green Candy Crush Yogurtland t-shirts.

I started playing Candy Crush a few weeks ago because I wanted to understand the new campaign. I get it – even the toppings are inspired by the game. It’s cuter now that I understand the references.

Check back for more info on the #YogurtlandSweetTreats #YogurtlandCandyCrush campaign and find more pictures on Pinterest, @froyogirl

Thanks Yogurtland for the party!

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.