The Mija Chronicles

Mexican food and culture, on both sides of the border

Cuban ice cream, Mexican charm at Mercado Medellín

by

Photo by Martin de la Torre

I met the Cuban ice cream guy the same way he meets all his ladies: he called out to me when I was passing by.

“Would you like to try some Cuban ice cream, without the promise to buy?”

He was a smiling man in an apron, standing behind a row of coffee machines and freezers. Without the promise to buy? I guess I had a few minutes.

He opened a freezer and emerged with a pale yellow dollop on a plastic spoon. “Helado de nata,” he announced. “People who try it don’t let it go.”

He was right. The ice cream was creamy, mild. Fresh-tasting. Like homemade whipped cream.

Since then I’ve continued to stop by his stand whenever I’m at Mercado Medellín — it’s located along the northern wall, near the hallway entrance to the fondas. His flavors are consistently good. And they aren’t what everyone else carries: date and cranberry are on his long list, in addition to caramel, almond, raspberry and orange.

It’s fun to sit at the counter on a plastic stool and take in the scene. He likes to call out to couples strolling through the market. “Helados para los enamorados?” (Ice cream for the lovers?) Or to women walking alone, in a hurry: “Quiere probar los helados Cubanos, sin compromiso?” (Do you want to try Cuban ice cream, without promise to buy?) He talks to men, too. A lot of people stop.

Finally, after months of knowing him only as the Cuban ice cream guy and recommending his stand that way to my friends, I stopped by last week for a malted milkshake and asked him his real name. My friend Martin came with me.

Turns out his name is Eugenio Palmeiro Ríos. He’s a cousin to Rafael. And guess what else? He used to be a chemical engineer in Cuba.

Now it all makes sense. Only a chemical engineer could make ice cream this good.

Palmeiro’s ice creams are made with real cream, fresh fruit and sugar. He doesn’t use artificial flavors or chemicals. He also sells Cuban-style coffees, milkshakes, malts, homemade yogurt, brownies, muffins and flan.

He got into ice cream as a hobby about five years ago, while he was working days in a molecular biology lab. He still keeps is original counter-top ice cream makers in back, although his current production dwarfs their size. The two machines he uses today make 60 liters per hour.

I asked him whether ice cream vendors in Cuba tended to be talkative, and he said no. He learned the art of customer persuasion in Mexico.

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, his stand is worth a visit. Mercado Medellín is located in the Colonia Roma, at Campeche and Medellín streets.

”Photo

Photo by Martin de la Torre

My malted milkshake, flavored with Colombian fruit I think called caruba

The Cuban ice cream guy himself

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Thank you! You’ve got an interesting page too. (Who knew there were so many Spanish-speakers in Holland?) Thanks for stopping by.

  3. Lesley,

    Nice article. The helado de coco has the flavor of toasted coconut. One time I asked Eugenio if his helado was like the helado of Coppelia, Havana’s most famous ice-cream parlor. His answer was, “Yes,only better.”

  4. I found your blog recently and I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts. This one, about “the Cuban ice cream guy” had me salivating. My wife and I will be in Mexico City in December, and we just happen to be staying in Colonia Roma. We will definitely stop by and see Senor Rios and taste his ice cream based on your recommendation.

  5. It really is good ice cream. Eugenio is a character and a nice guy.
    Work up your appetite with some delicious cochinita pibil across the street at Exquisito Cochinita Pibil (Campeche 122).

    • Yes Martin, an important addendum, you’re right. Or folks could eat inside the market at La Ostioneria. Great seafood. Or at one of the comida corrida-style fondas down the hallway. I like Chucho’s stand inside the market — it’s the second eatery on the left, walking in from the Cuban ice cream stand.

  7. We enjoy visiting and eating at the Mercado Medellín, having been introduced to it years ago by a querida amiga who lives nearby. But oddly, we have never seen the Cuban ice cream guy. I suppose I was concentrating on the enormous slabs of chicharrones at the Colombian carnicerías, or the seafood at La Morenita; the various spice and other stands.

    Thanks for telling us about the ice cream!

    Saludos,
    Don Cuevas

    • DC: I’m proud I could share something new with you. 🙂 His stand really is worth a visit. Cherry and date are still tops on my list.

  8. I can’t wait to visit Martin and have him take us to see the Cuban ice cream man. Cubans are so charming!! Julie (Martin’s Mom)

  10. What a lovely discovery – for you, I mean – but me coming across this blog post has made me crave ice cream instead, when I’m meant to be healthy today! But anyway, I do love meeting characters like this on my travels – and you’ve written it up so beautifully.

    • Thanks Amanda, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I’m trying to be healthy too a lot of the time, but sometimes a girl (or boy) just needs an ice cream cone. 🙂

  12. Bueno, como pienso que muchos de los que aquí han escrito son cubanos y que seguramente los que no lo son puede que sean latinos, sintiéndolo por el resto pero seguro de que algo entenderán, como lo he hecho yo con este escrito (muy bueno por cierto); me atrevo, como cubano, a hacer un homenaje más a este genial hombre al que tuve la suerte de conocer hace ya varios años. De aquella, ya tenía referencias de su inteligencia y de su grado de preparación como ingeniero, lo conocí precisamente cuando “la cosa se puso mala” y él hacía otras cosas por salir adelante, luego supe que había logrado llegar a la libertad y que impartía clases como profesor en México. Me ha dado mucha alegría, después de tantos años verle en estas fotos del reportaje, su cara refleja el carisma de aquel que conocí, pero aun hay algo más, la expresión del hombre luchador, satisfecho con lo que hace.

    • Hola Javier: Muchas gracias por tu comentario. Me alegro que lo hayas gustado la nota y que también has tenido la oportunidad de conocer a Eugenio. Acabo de mandarle el link y seguro que va a ver tus palabras tan simpáticas. Saludos!

      • What´s up Lesley: Noooo qué va, aunque sé un poquito de inglés, no me atrevo a escribir de corrido no vaya a ser que cometa muchos errores. Bueno, que no había visto tu atento comentario sobre el mio. Es que no suelo “andar” por internet. En este caso quien te da las gracias soy yo por darnos la oportunidad de contar contigo como escritora. Muchas Gracias “Mija” (la hija de tu padre) 🙂

        • Hola Javier!

          A ver si lees esto otra vez! Lo escribiste hace dos años y medio y hacia años no veias al heladero, pero nosotros no nos vemos hace 40 años, que te parece? Tu vivias en 15 y Paseo y yo en 15 y 2, en El Vedado. Te invite en linkedin.
          Vivo en Miami y trabajo mucho en Europa, conmigo trabajan muchos Gallegos y hace una semana pase por Las Canarias.
          Ya sabes quien soy?
          We will have to say thank you to Lesley again for connecting us!
          Nos vemos!

          • Hola Dani, cómo no voy a saber quién eres compadre: mi primer compañero de aula prácticamente. Es verdad que no podemos dar uno con el otro, ya ves la de rato que hace que me dejaste esta nota y hoy 11 de marzo de 2014 es que la he visto. Hace unos días te envié un mensaje por alguna parte en la que vi que estabas y tampoco se me ocurrió dejarte mi dirección por si querías contactar conmigo. Tanto estudio y no se me ha ocurrido otra cosa que saludarte. Mira mi correo personal es jjb2341@coeticor.net, o bien javierjonte@yahoo.es el que más rabia te dé. Espero que leas esto antes de dos años, jejeje, Saludos a tu mamá. Un abrazo.

  13. Hola Lesley,

    Te felicito por tu artículo y blog. Yo también tuve la oportunidad de conocer a Eugenio en la misma situación.

    Encabezo un Centro de Servicios para Extranjeros en México y con frecuencia organizamos activiades para conocer la ciudad. En una ocasión con un grupo de francesas asistimos al Mercado de Medellín y Eugenio se acercó con una muestra de delicioso helado.

    Es un increíble conversador así que intercambiamos tarjetas inmediatamente. Tu artículo refleja exactamente la impresión que Eugenio y su negocio tuvo en mí.

    Me gustaría incluir tu artículo, si estas de acuerdo en alguno de nuestros newsletters mensuales, a fin de que otros Expats puedan disfrutar de la experiencia.
    http://www.meetpoint.com.mx/Newsletters.html

    Te felicito.

    Diana Díaz

  14. This is an amazing article 🙂 I love ice cream! Makes me want to go and try some right now.

  16. Hello Lesley!

    Just dropping you a line to let you know how much I enjoy looking at all of the great pictures you had been posting lately from your trips. It makes me more homesick that ever. Maybe this summer I will have a plan a trip to Mexico.

    Keep enjoying the food. 🙂

    Un abrazo,

    Mely

  17. I enjoyed very much your blog. Let me tell you that I have never tasted better ice cream than the cuban. May be a little bias there because I’m Cuban. Please check my blog. There are articles and beautiful photos from all over the world. Why did you leave Texas for Mexico? I’m very happy living here in Brownsville, on the border with Matamoros, Mex. GOOD LUCK. Jay