Mud Pies and Banana Brûlée
A special Just a Bite interview from Raven Simone Walker of Pachamama Helados
Cake friends,
First off: A resounding thank you to the many hundreds (!) of folks who submitted pitches for our next issue, Daily Bread. We are working through the pitches and will be issuing acceptances and rejections in the coming weeks. Thank you for your interest and patience—it’s already clear this issue will be a special one.
This week in the newsletter, we’re sharing a special Just a Bite interview with Raven Simone Walker of Pachamama Helados, an incredible small-batch ice cream brand based in New York. Raven made swirls of lush melon sorbet with pink peppercorn at our Candy Land launch party earlier in the summer, and her full spectrum of ice cream inventiveness spans from fig leaf coconut ice cream to guanábana lemon verbena sorbet. Raven is a true artist, and it’s unsurprising her frozen creations are deeply inventive. If you’re in NYC, she takes custom orders for events and individual cravings. And she’s consulting on a new project set to open in Miami late FW/24—stay tuned on her IG for updates and read on to learn about what draws her to ice cream as a medium, her sources of inspiration, and more. –Aliza
You’re making dessert. What is it? How do you make it?
I’ve been thinking about my grandfather a lot recently, my ito. Growing up he would prepare fruit smoothies for us most mornings, with banana shakes being one of his favorites. During the warmer months, we’d stroll through the neighborhood, visit the nearby park, or run some errands, which often ended with us sharing an ice cream sundae and picking up a few scratch off cards.
He pretty much lives by the rule that some form of banana should be eaten at every meal and honestly, I gotta say, I don’t necessarily disagree. If that’s not a South American thing, it must be Colombian and if it’s not a Colombian thing, it’s definitely a Fernando thing. Inspired by him, I’d make a banana pudding ice cream banana split. First would be the banana, halved and brûléed to a caramelized perfection, then a layer of creamy banana pudding ice cream speckled with Madagascar vanilla and frozen banana bits, topped with vanilla wafer crumble, a dollop of coconut cream chantilly, fig leaf oil drizzled over the top and a touch of Maldon. I think he’d really love that.
Someone is making you a dessert. What do you ask for?
Something that’s not too sweet, probably some variation of a passion fruit or yuzu pastry with at least two textures at play. I can’t get enough of tart and citrusy flavors, particularly when combined with a silky mousse, tangy curd, and a moist, airy sponge. But honestly I’m happy with anything shared with me, that’s made with love and tells me a story.
You’ve transformed into a pastry. What are you and how are you consumed?
My whimsical answer? A literal mud pie. My great-grandparents had a house in Baltimore that we visited some summers. As a kid, I’d play on the lawn and make mud pies—not just any mud pies, but ones made from rich wild blue clay mixed with fresh creek water, layered with maple, pine, or honeysuckle sap (if you can find it). I’d cover them with various bryophytes and adorn them with sundews, pitcher plants, and Venus flytraps– or at least that was what I imagined. I would eagerly ask my mom or sister, or anyone willing to indulge me, to come over and “sample” my creation.
Realistically speaking—a guayaba y queso empanada. The perfect crispy and flaky vessel for a gooey, irresistible combination of piping hot sweet guava paste and salty colombian white cheese. Or Colombian hot chocolate, stirred constantly in that staple aluminum olleta using the molinillo (a treasured family relic) until the milk simmers and the cacao is completely melted; spiced with warming clove and cinnamon, sweetened with a bit of sugar and you guessed it—cubed queso colombiano or mozzarella, whatever is on hand, into the bottom of the mug, letting it melt into the rich chocolate.
Tell us about a dessert scene in a work of art/cinema/culture/literature that you’ll never forget?
I found the reference to Mayan/Aztec culture in Chocolat really captivating. My mind returns to Vianne and her child behind the counter, spinning the Mesoamerican artifact asking the skeptical community what is seen within. Drawing connections to unlock and reveal the subconscious through the wisdom of cacao, continuing the heart chakra work where it is needed through thoughtfully crafted treats.
Share with us a baking hack you can’t live without?
Use cold carbonated liquids in batters, it helps create an airier (and depending on the preparation) a crispier bite. Whether it be for sweet crepes or something savory like fried soft shell crab, lemongrass ginger fried enoki mushrooms, I always keep a bottle of club soda on the door of my fridge.
What draws you to ice cream/sorbet as a medium?
It’s an attainable memory for most. I enjoy playing and bending nostalgia. I think it’s one of the easiest feelings to return to, especially unconsciously. So much of our memory is malleable, to me it’s a very safe space to explore, reimagine, intertwine information and storytelling. The landscape of experimentation with flavors feels boundless.
Follow Raven and Pachamama Helados on Instagram.
Misc cake content:
Support: East Bay Booksellers is crowdfunding to re-open after a fire devastated the building they’ve operated in for the past 30 years.
Go: If you read Gabriella Burnham’s story on the singular performance artist Narcissister in Tough Cookie and want to witness the chaos up close, Pioneer Works released tickets for Narcissister’s first large-scale performance commission since 2012, running September 14-15.
Join: Bucket List Bake Club, a virtual baking club helmed by online baker friends like Elisa Sunga of Cake Picnic fame.
Want to support Cake Zine’s independent work? Subscribe to this newsletter and order a copy of our latest issue: Candy Land or our new limited edition Candy Land lollipop tee.
Both of the answers to the “What pastry are you?” question are beautiful—first, the playful mud pie adorned with pitcher plants and Venus flytraps, and then the comforting guayaba and cheese empanada. I love how imaginative and personal they both are.
Chocolat is one of my comfort films! The love and magic is so palpable in that film.