Ice cream shop brings taste of Mexico to Pennsylvania: "I never imagined corn ice cream would be good"
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (CBS) — An ice cream shop is serving a sweet taste of Mexico in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania.
La Michoacana on State Street in Kennett Square not only offers traditional flavors of ice cream like vanilla and chocolate, but tropical flavors like avocado, mamey, mango and lime.
"We were the very first one to bring this type of flavors to this whole area, even to the whole Pennsylvania," co-owner Noelia Scharon said.
These are the flavors Scharon enjoyed with her father while growing up in Puerto Rico. She rediscovered them on a trip to Mexico, which inspired her to open the shop with three friends.
"When we opened 21 years ago, the customers were very hesitant to try these unique flavors that we were offering," Scharon said.
But the business took off, with many awards along the way. Customers come from near and far to satisfy their sweet cravings.
"I didn't know corn ice cream was a thing before I came here," Antonio Rodriguez, from Kennett Square, said. "I never imagined corn ice cream would be good."
The shop also serves drinks popular in Mexico, like chamoyada, made with shaved ice and chili powder.
"There's comfort in different cultures being able to go, 'Hey, I've missed what I had back home,' and they get to come to La Michoacana Ice Cream and they have can have that sense of home," Luis Almanza, from Kennett Square, said.
The shop also sells popsicles like arroz con leche, pico de gallo, tamarindo con chile and grosella. Scharon said she loves sharing her culture through food.
She said she's looking forward to serving the community for another 21 years.
"It's very fun and I think it's very educational," Scharon said, "because we get to tell other people that there's fruits out there that you can make ice cream with."