Yala brings dreamy Greek ice cream to Georgetown this summer
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Tangy Greek ice cream is gently mixed with flavors like fresh fruits or katafi. Photo: Courtesy Yala Greek Ice Cream
D.C. is a global ice cream town, from Japanese matcha to South Asian chai, but we're missing real-deal Greek. Enter Yala Greek Ice Cream, opening in Georgetown next month.
Why it matters: If you love the tangy freshness of Greek yogurt, you'll adore Greek ice cream.
Dig in: Yala founder Chrys Kefalas spent childhood summers with his family on the island of Rhodes, "where I found the best ice cream of my life," he tells Axios. A minimalist's dream — quality milk, delicately churned with fresh fruits, herbs or Greek honey.
- Though his family members ran restaurants in Baltimore, including the legendary Jimmy's Famous Seafood, Kefalas says he could never find authentic Greek ice cream in the U.S.
- He recently changed careers from a brand strategy executive to ice cream entrepreneur, inspired by his "papou" George, who emigrated to the U.S. in the '60s.
What they're saying: "'Take pride in the best you can do and extend your heart to everyone,'" Kefalas' grandfather told him. "I decided to give it a go."
The intrigue: Yala's ice cream is ingredient-driven with local South Mountain Creamery milk (from a single-origin farm, no less) and specialty ingredients imported from Greece like cherry preserves, citrus, wildflower honey and yogurt from Thessaloniki.
- The scoop shop will "feel like a vintage American ice cream parlor, but also very Greek," says Kefalas — cue the family photos and memorabilia from the old country.
- Bases and toppings are meant to showcase the ice cream, not mask it — think classic cones, Greek chocolate, and fruit preserves.
Also, packed pints to-go. Kefalas is looking to get into the grocery market alongside the scoop shop so more people can bring a taste of Greece home.
If you go: Yala Greek Ice Cream, 3143 N St Northwest