How Chef Joe Calderone Worked With Selena Gomez to Make Her Signature Serendipity Ice Cream Flavor
If you haven't tried Selena Gomez's Serendipity Ice Cream, you are seriously missing out.
Selena became co-owner of the deliciously audacious NYC-based Serendipity Brands in 2020, including the world-famous Serendipity3 restaurant, which has been around since 1954 and was featured in the iconic rom-com, Serendipity. They're known for their incredible, often record-breaking foods, designed under creative director, Chef Joe Calderone. That includes their decadent ice cream sundaes, which can now be purchased across the country in the form of Serendipity Ice Cream's accessible and tasty pints.
With Joe's help, Selena also designed her own irresistible ice cream flavor, Cookies & Cream Remix. It blends pink vanilla ice cream, a thick fudge swirl and big pieces of cream-filled cookies for the ultimate chocolatey experience. Even more, 1% of the sales from each pint goes to Selena's Rare Impact Fund, raising awareness about mental health education and resources. In addition to getting to try Selena's scrumptious flavor, we got the chance to chat with Joe Calderone about his work with Serendipity3, and his collaboration with Selena. Learn about all of that, and more, in our interview with him below.
Sweety High: Can you tell us a little bit about your work with Serendipity3, and more recently, Serendipity Ice Cream? What makes their ice cream unlike any other brand out there?
Chef Joe Calderone: I've had the pleasure to work with Serendipity 3 for 36 years as their creative director. I was involved with the filming of everything from the Oprah Winfrey Show to the movie, Serendipity, at the restaurant. I've created hundreds of sundaes celebrating Broadway shows to hit movies. I have even created the world's most expensive sundae—The Golden Opulence—for the 50th anniversary of the restaurant. It was only natural that Serendipity Ice Cream was born! The brand has 68 years of experience serving the best ice cream sundaes in the world, and now you can buy them in pint form to be enjoyed far beyond our NYC restaurant.
(Image courtesy of Joe Calderone)
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SH: Tell us how Selena Gomez's Cookies and Cream Remix came to be. What was the process of working with her to develop the flavor?
JC: I remember Selena Gomez as a kid coming into the restaurant with her family. When Selena became a partner in Serendipity 3 and Serendipity Ice Cream, it was only natural for her to create a flavor based on her personal likes and experiences coming to Serendipity over the years.
(via Serendipity Ice Cream)
Selena is a very sharp businesswoman and knew what she wanted from the start. The research and development of the flavor was fun and a lot of tasting went on! The flavor is a fan favorite and Selena's choices of ingredients put this flavor over the top!
SH: What's your own favorite Serendipity Ice Cream flavor? What makes it so special?
JC: My favorite Serendipity Ice Cream flavor is the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream! It is based on the iconic drink, Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, that has had everyone from Cher to Oprah swooning. I've grown up enjoying this drink, and now to have an ice cream flavor is amazing. Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream is rich and creamy with hot cocoa flavored ice cream, big swirls of whipped cream and bits of shaved chocolate—just incredible!
(via Serendipity Ice Cream)
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SH: As the holder of various Guinness World Records, do you have any plans for a record-breaking ice cream in the near future?
JC: I have nine Guinness World Records! Serendipity 3 has the most records of any restaurant in the world! It's been so much fun creating them. I am sure there will be a big record-breaking ice cream creation in the near future!
SH: Is there anything else we should know about the brand?
JC: Serendipity 3 has been in business for over 68 years! Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant are just a few names of celebrities that made Serendipity 3 a big hit years ago and Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy are some of the stars who continue to make Serendipity 3 a "must visit" in NYC. The decadent sundaes that Serendipity is known for all these years are the inspiration for the Serendipity Ice Cream line—in a one-scoop vanilla world, Serendipity is a hot fudge sundae!
(via Serendipity Ice Cream)
Curious about Selena's other brands? Click HERE to check out the best gifts from her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, this holiday.