SMITTEN, THE SAN FRANCISCO-BORN PURVEYOR OF ICE CREAM MADE BEFORE YOUR EYES, IS EXPANDING WITH TWO NEW LOCATIONS AND ALGORITHM-DRIVEN, SMART MIXING MACHINES. BUT FORGET ALL THAT HIGH-TECH, SAYS FOUNDER ROBYN SUE FISHER, HER COMPANY IS OLD-SCHOOL AT HEART.
Late on a weekday morning in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood, Eliza Bennett is at Smitten Ice Cream, chatting into an iPhone. She stands behind a counter outfitted with four, new-to-the-shop stainless steel machines that look like space-age, industrial versions of your mom’s old KitchenAid mixer.
Image: The patented double helical fixture on the Brrr machine keeps ingredients in constant motion as liquid nitrogen freezes the bowl's contents in seconds. Plus, it puts on a good show. PHOTO BY ALEX LOSCHER