Arts Cream: Ice cream with an art

The newly-opened Arts Cream Gallery in Robinsons Place Manila is the brainchild of brothers Rachy Zamora Cuna (noted floral arranger) and Richie Z. Cuna (owner of Milkin Corp., producer of Fiorgelato ice cream) and Patrick Cuna (son of Richie who is the self appointed chef. The Cuna brothers concocted the concept of an ice cream parlor with a flair for art in its physical layout and product designs while Patrick incorporated the gourmet sandwiches and pastas. The gallery is strategically located near the entrance of the new high-end Midtown wing of Robinsons.

Arts Cream Gallery is a high-concept reinterpretation of the ice cream parlor incorporating the elements of art into the idea of a café in the middle of a busy mall, according to the Cuna brothers.

Different from other ice cream parlors, Arts Cream Gallery offers both the ice cream scoops in waffle cones or sugar-flavored cones in artistic metal holders or in giant Martini glasses called “one for all ” and boat-like banana split servings called “split seconds” and the “gelato on drama” with ice cream served in a picture frame.

Rachy, the renowned Filipino floral architect, is the brains behind the artistic designers ice cream served like artworks that elicit awe and admiration from customers.

“It’s actually a gallery and café in one replete with artworks and art objects scattered around and an assortment of artist renditions of seven coffee tables and 14 chairs in a 30-square meter mall space,” Rachy says.

Richie, the bank executive turned entrepreneur when he bought Milkin Corp. that now produces Fiorgelato, is the ice cream supplier.

Richie says the ice cream formulation is very different from Fiorgelato and is responsible for the business side.

Patrick is behind the four types of pasta and four types of gourmet sandwiches served in the Arts Cream Gallery.

Store manager Noel Castro said the response from the first day of soft opening was really surprising.

“We saw moviegoers who came in from the last full show making last minute orders before exiting the gates. There were students in big numbers ordering the big sized “one for all” sharing priced at P350 which contains all the 24 different flavors in the ice cream counter and there were also parents and children, obviously window shopping, buying scoop after scoop trying as many flavors as they could,” Castro says.

“The following day, office workers came to buy different flavors each so they could taste as many flavors that we offered as possible”, Castro adds.

The scoops cost P100 for three layers of one flavor but the cones cost P75.

The orders are also named artistically like blooms (a scoop with sugar flowers blooming on top of the scoop); I Love You, playing with the shape of hearts; towering delight (a drama on heights using well laid-out barquillos); split second and one for all.

Castro said that bestsellers are pistachio, toblerone and avocado (served with real avocado).

“It’s a dream (partnership) come true for Rachy and me,” says Richie.