Froyo History at the Valley Relics Museum

 

Fro-yo girl here. We recently visited the Valley Relics Museum, a museum dedicated to the history of the San Fernando Valley, so that Mr. Froyo could relive some childhood memories. He grew up in North Hollywood. I grew up in the Bay Area, so I don’t have SFV childhood memories, but I certainly recognized some of the movies, TV shows, and businesses of the Valley (e.g., Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Brady Bunch).

Some of the neon signs looked familiar because those businesses still exist (e.g., Dinah’s Fried Chicken, Pioneer Chicken, Johnny Rockets, Bob’s Big Boy). I spotted the Studio Frozen Yogurt sign. Studio Yogurt: Studio Yogurt opened in Studio City in 1997 and closed in 2014. The location was taken over by Yogurtland. It was an old school yogurt shop known for generous portions. I visited it one time.

I believe they have the old Humphrey Yogart sign, though I didn’t see it displayed. And yes, I was looking for it. The Valley is also home to the very first Menchie's Frozen Yogurt in Valley Village, and it's still open. Humphrey Yogart moved and continues to serve froyo inside Gelson's in Sherman Oaks.

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

* VALLEY RELICS MUSEUM: C3 & C4 Entrance on, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Stagg St, Van Nuys, CA 91406

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 Featured Flavors: Blue Raspberry made with SweeTarts and Gourmet Tiramisu Gelato

Fro-yo girl here. New froyo flavors are still being introduced monthly by Menchie’s. The latest new flavors are: Blue Raspberry froyo made with SweeTarts and Gourmet Tiramisu Gelato. I found them at Menchie’s in Valley Village.

Blue Raspberry made with SweeTarts froyo is described as “sweet and tantalizingly tart, just like the iconic SweeTarts candy.” I used to be obsessed with Giant Chewy SweeTarts. They came out with Mini Chewy SweeTarts. I haven’t tried those but I can’t imagine that they’d be better than Giant Chewy SweeTarts. Anyway, one thing that I loved about SweeTarts was the fact that they were tangy. And I love tangy froyo. Combining the two could be a real tangy treat. The yogurt was tangy and did taste like blue raspberry Sweetarts (which is to say, not totally natural or like raspberries but still pleasant if you like blue raspberry flavored candy). It was more sorbet like than froyo like and reminded me of a Blue Raspberry ICEE. Blue Raspberry made with SweeTarts is gluten-free and contains no high fructose corn syrup.

Gourmet Tiramisu Gelato is described as featuring “rich and decadent mascarpone flavors layered between bold espresso flavors and sweet cake, finished with a hint of chocolate.” The gelato has live and active cultures, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no high-fructose corn syrup. Real tiramisu is a bit mushier, richer, and sweeter than I like but a good gelato/froyo might be better since it would leave out the mush factor. And Gourmet Tiramisu Gelato delivered – rich, thick, creamy, and smooth, it tasted like a sweet espresso mellowed by mascarpone. I liked it better than I expected to.

Menchie’s Valley Village is still full service. Los Angeles County is currently in the yellow tier of COVID-19 restrictions. Restaurants can allow indoor dining at 50% capacity or 75% if all guests show proof of a negative test or full vaccination. As far as I know, samples are still not allowed.

The other week I drove by and noticed that Menchie’s Glendale was open during a weekday, so they must have expanded their hours of operation. The Menchie’s website still says that the location is closed Monday-Thursday and they didn’t announce the new hours on Instagram but they did update the hours on Yelp. They’re open from 1 PM – 9 PM Monday-Thursday and 11 AM – 10 PM Friday-Sunday. On Google, it says they’re open from 1 PM – 10 PM Monday-Thursday, 11 AM – 10 PM Friday-Sunday.

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.

National Frozen Yogurt Day at Menchie’s & a New Flavor, Rich Dark Chocolate

 

Fro-yo girl here. The official National Frozen Yogurt Day is this Saturday, February 6, but I’m up for celebrating it early. It makes it easier to take advantage of multiple NFYD offers. First up, Menchie’s! They had a buy one, get one free offer today (US locations). Also, if you use the Menchie’s app on NFYD (February 2), you’ll be entered into a contest. Twenty lucky people will win $20 uploaded to their Menchie’s app account.

In other Menchie’s news, Menchie’s has a new featured flavor for February, Rich Dark Chocolate made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate. February happens to be National Chocolate Month and National Dark Chocolate Day was Feburary 1. Also, Menchie’s offers Valentine’s Day froyo cakes that can be customized. They even have mini sizes.

I was fortunate to find Rich Dark Chocolate froyo at Menchie’s Valley Village (Los Angeles) today. Though chocolate froyo is not a favorite of mine, I really liked this new flavor. It might be the best chocolate flavor that Menchie’s has ever introduced.

Rich dark chocolate froyo: The texture was definitely smooth, creamy and dare I say, luxurious. It didn’t look darker than the typical chocolate froyo but it seemed less sweet with a little bitterness from the dark chocolate. Really good! I might have added too many chocolate toppings but it’s National Chocolate Month. Recommended toppings: Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Chips, Nilla wafers, nuts.

This flavor has no artificial colors or artificial flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, and it’s gluten-free. It's 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 November Feature Flavor, Cinnamon Bun & Return of Veterans Day Offer

 

Fro-yo girl here. Back in November 2014, Menchie’s introduced a new froyo flavor, Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll, featuring Cinnabon Makara cinnamon blended with their signature cream cheese frosting. They also provided two new toppings, Cinnabon morsels and sweet cream cheese icing.

Cinnamon roll/bun froyo is back at Menchie’s but it’s new and made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese frosting. Menchie’s describes the flavor as follows: “Taste a slice of cinnamon bun in every bite. Menchie’s new froyo flavor, Cinnamon Bun made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese Frosting, is gluten-free and made with real cinnamon and Philadelphia Cream Cheese. To make it an even sweeter treat, top off your cup with swirls of our new Cream Cheese Frosting topping!” Yes, they brought back a warm cream cheese frosting.

Finding the new flavor continues to be a bit of a challenge despite improvements to the Menchie’s app this year. Though they FINALLY added a flavor finder feature, most locations do not report their current flavors. And the locations near me rarely put in the new flavors around the time that they’re released. Valley Village has it though – that’s one location that I can depend on. They also update their flavors on the Menchie’s app. Due to COVID-19, they do not provide samples.

Cinnamon Bun froyo: The cinnamon flavor wasn’t as strong as I expected. It was definitely on the sweet side but tasted more like a butter caramel frosting than a cinnamon bun. The Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll flavor had more cinnamon flavor. The Menchie’s employee recommended pairing Cinnamon Bun froyo with Vanilla Snow. Recommended toppings: Heath & almonds.

I was also happy to see that Menchie’s will continue the tradition of offering free froyo (6 oz) to veterans and active duty military on Veterans Day, November 11. More Veterans Day froyo offers will be revealed soon (in the next post).

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.