Growing up Bahamian is an amazingly unique and special experience.

For me, I have fond memories of eating my way through my childhood and being exposed to some of the best and most delicious dishes and desserts.

From endless supplies of homemade potato bread, guava duff, coconut candy, benny cake and tamarind sauce that left me licking my fingers clean; to climbing trees and hopping walls with my cousins to fill old grocery bags with mangoes, dillies, sugar apples, guineps, scarlet plums, tamarind, sea grape, coconuts and jujus, we literally ate everything we could get our hands on.

With all of these amazing foods in our midsts, I found it quite odd that after all this time, we’ve not really diversified these products and created a slew of new Bahamian dishes from them.

UNTIL NOW! 

A brand new, authentically Bahamian ice cream, gelato and sorbet shop will soon be opening its doors offering all of our childhood faves in delicious, cold treats that really put a spin on Bahamian desserts!

Sun & Ice

Ice Cream, Gelato and Sorbet

I was too excited to be invited to Sun & Ice’s first media private tour and tasting recently, at their Atlantis Coral Towers location. It was an exclusive event set up for a crew of writers and bloggers out of New York representing big name agencies like Essence Magazine, People Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Home and Garden and I just so happened to be the only Bahamian blogger in the house.

Now let me tell you about these ice creams! SO DELICIOUS! 

We sampled six of their all-Bahamian flavors and I was completely blown away! The flavors were so rich and present and were perfectly complemented by velvety smooth and frothy textures.

What I love about the flavors (other than the amazingly delicious tastes) were their names! The ice creams are all named after things, and even people popular in Bahamian culture.

Like the “Yeah, Bey,” a beautiful blend of sour sop and sugar banana or the “Oh, Cat Island,” which is the benny cake crumble ice cream! The vanilla based option was such a surprising treat; it doesn’t skimp on that smoky, burnt benny cake flavor and it’s packed with chunks of the sticky, sweet candy!

Imagine your fave slice of warm guava duff churned into a cold gelato with chunks of duff on the inside! This is “Aunty Mar,” the guava duff ice cream that will give you a brand new appreciation for guava duff.

Whooo!!! I had so much ice cream that day! But everything was so enticing and tempting I had to try them all.

Next up was the “Inagua Flamingo,”  a vanilla based ice cream featuring a perfect mix of strawberries and coconut. It’s just so perfect.

The “Fox Hill Gal,” was a pleasant surprise; a thickly whipped, comforting mixture of sapodilla and maple that made me miss hiding bags of it in the closet from my greedy cousins. 

In the showcase there was this colorful, intriguing option. I saw what appeared to be yellow and pink and blue marshmallows, chunks of red velvet cake all sprinkled with dark chocolate. It was the Junkanoo Ice cream, named after our most beloved festival and cultural expression and it sure did look every bit of junkanoo! Colorful, confusing but beautiful all at the same time, it had a mixture of vanilla, red velvet and chocolate and flavors, while the chunkiness and crunchiness of the cookies made it just the perfect treat.

The parlour has a really modern and chill vibe with its furniture and fixtures giving the beautiful desserts a run for their money in the looks department. The space is bright, it’s colorful, it’s spacious and really puts you in the mood for some good old Bahamian partying; with the likes of Ronnie Butler, Geno D and KB playing on the stereo it’s almost a given!

Sun & Ice really is authentically Bahamian! 

I’m usually very picky when it comes to my food! Actually, I’m not much of a dessert person and usually skip out on the sweets at the end of my meals, but if we’re driving over to Sun & Ice, then I’m in! I love the way this company has taken authentically Bahamian ingredients and made them accessible, fun and new for Bahamians and tourists alike!

Look out for the Sun & Ice grand opening!

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