Dr. Freeze opens shop in Gardens
PALM BEACH GARDENS — A frozen dessert shop selling ice cream made with liquid nitrogen that started in Brazil now has its first store in the United States in Palm Beach Gardens.
Jorge and Helena Belem opened the Dr. Freeze franchise near Blaze Pizza and Christopher’s Kitchen in the Mainstreet at Midtown shopping center on April 8. The shop specializes in made-to-order ice cream, milk shakes, artisanal and other desserts and gateau (a rich, chocolate cake).
Artisanal desserts served in fancy glasses are brigadeiros, Brazilian chocolate fudge balls. They come with other treats such as Oreos or strawberries and marshmallows.
But what — or who — is Dr. Freeze?
“The idea is it’s like a factory. Dr. Freeze has his inventions. He creates desserts to make people happy, especially the children,” Jorge Belem said, noting the cement floors, pipes and tanks that keep with the theme.
Dr. Freeze operates seven stores in Brazil.
Customers can choose a size and creatively named ice cream flavor — Romeo & Juliet or Brulee Fire, for example — from the menu and watch it frozen in front of them. People who are lactose-intolerant can be the “doctor” and choose a water base with a strawberry or passion fruit flavor, then add toppings.
Ot h e r d o - i t -you r s e l f b a s e s include yogurt and whey protein.
The ice cream frozen with nitrogen on the spot contains less air than traditional ice cream that can be stored in a freezer, which means it has better flavor, Belem said. It also melts faster, meaning it’s not made for take-out.
Salted caramel waffles and waffles with fruit are served with traditional ice cream, because the nitrogen-frozen ice cream would melt too quickly, Belem said.
Deb Te r z i a n d h e r f r i e n d s stopped in for a treat Thursday afternoon. Terzi, of Palm Beach Gardens, watched as her yogurt with caramel sauce on top was mixed. Other than pricey toppings, she had no complaints.
“It’s delicious,” she said after taking a few bites. “It’s got a different taste, like a thickness to it, much creamier.”
Permanently moving back to Florida has been a dream come true for Belem, who didn’t want to leave after completing a sixmonth intensive English program at the Florida Institute of Technology as a 17-year-old. Life had other plans, and he graduated from a Brazilian university with a degree in mechanical engineering.
He worked for Volvo for 14 years before going into business for himself. Belem owns three restaurants in Brazil and stores.
In 2014, he and Helena moved to the United States. They live in Palm Beach Gardens.
Sunny South Florida is a far cry from Belem’s hometown of Curitiba in the state of Paraná in the mountains of Brazil south of São Paulo, he said.
“It’s cold and rainy almost all the time. When you have a Sunday with sun, it’s something unbelievable,” Belem said. “I don’t need to tell you, it’s wonderful. Florida is a paradise.”