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For a PCC college student, finding the perfect job to fit a school schedule is hard. Finding one that fits an education goal is a unique flavor all its own.

Jessica Corcio, PCC student majoring in hospitality, makes fresh waffle cones at Carmela’s Ice Cream and Sorbet on Washington Blvd in Pasadena on Friday, March 28, 2014.  Carmela’s makes all their own ice creams and sorbets fresh on premises.  (Benjamin Simpson/Courier)
Jessica Corcio, PCC student majoring in hospitality, makes fresh waffle cones at Carmela’s Ice Cream and Sorbet on Washington Blvd in Pasadena on Friday, March 28, 2014. Carmela’s makes all their own ice creams and sorbets fresh on premises. (Benjamin Simpson/Courier)

PCC senior Jessica Corcio, hospitality and restaurant management, has been simultaneously learning while working. While on staff at Carmela’s Ice Cream and Sorbet on Washington Boulevard, Corcio has been putting her education in hospitality to use.

“It is tough balancing school and work sometimes, because I do a work lot,” said Corcio. “I’m constantly studying and keeping up with everything. But it teaches you how to balance things out, and manage your time, and what-not. And since my major is hospitality, I get experience with people and how to help with [product questions].”

Jessica Mortarotti owns the shop with partner Zachary Cox, and both are newcomers to the ice cream business. They specialize in fresh, unique flavors.

“We more or less woke up one day and decided to start an ice cream company,” Mortarotti said. “Essentially I had to start teaching myself how to make ice cream,” Mortarotti said. “I knew the type of flavors we wanted to do, which we called garden inspired flavors. So we use fresh herbs and spices and seasonal produce from the farmer’s market.”

With a shared kitchen in downtown Los Angeles working in the back of a pizza restaurant, the couple began by selling ice cream various farmers markets, and later through their vintage 1975 ice cream truck, until word of mouth spread.

Beginning with the ever-present big seller, the Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean, and unique flavors like Lavender Honey, Rose Petal, and then later Salted Caramel, a Guinness beer ice cream was developed about six years ago for Saint Patrick’s Day.  Then flavors like Earl Grey Tea, Meyer Lemon and Olive Oil and Cucumber sorbet became soothing flavors for the summer, when such sorbets are often served as an after-dinner palate cleanser, as well as a sweet treat.

Mortarotti describes the ice cream shop as a “work in progress.” Wanting it to feel different from the typical ice cream shop, the clean, white and stainless steal is complimented with a vintage looking chalkboard, crystal chandeliers, and nostalgic trim and decor-including an ice cream trolley cart outside the store front, which does get used for catering.

“Like with chandeliers, [we wanted] to have it a little more grown up,” she said. “It’s ice cream for grown-ups, but it’s also for kids as well, of course.”

The store offers tastes of any ice cream or sorbet to customers prior to ordering. The shop also makes chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, wafer cookies, as well as homemade marshmallows, which began as a fresh ingredient for a Rocky Road ice cream containing a marshmallow that was free of corn syrup and made with honey instead.

There was a lot of research and development involved in the process, so the marshmallows, along with the topping sauces, are now sold retail in the store after becoming popular.

“I am a pretty good home chef, as far as teaching myself to do things,” said Mortarotti. “So that helped in terms of the physical product. But I think beyond that was having the vision – a very strong vision – helped a lot in seeing what we wanted to create and then taking steps methodically towards it. We are putting a lot of passion into it.”

Corcio, whose goal is to transfer to Cal Poly after the fall semester, still plans to continue to work at the mom and pop ice cream shop. With future dreams to travel in hospitality, or to even open a restaurant or even a hotel of her own, she maintains her current flexible working environment to enable her further growth and to fund her education.

Since the store less than a mile above PCC, Corcio often serves PCC students and fellow classmates who come to the shop popular flavors like Salted Caramel.

“Guinness is popular with the young crown,” Corcio said. “Also an Affogato, which is ice cream with a shot of espresso.”

Although her personal favorite is the Lavender Honey, because the ice creams are seasonal, she has favorites from the past, including one that will return with the coming hot summer days.

“We have a Rose Petal that is similar to Lavender Honey,” Corcio said. “We use organic roses that we have to get specially grown for it, because there’s rose petals inside as well and they use organic rose water, which is really good.”

But even with more college looming in the distance, and a future that may take her further still in her travels, Corcio is not anxious to move on from her job of mutual passions.

“I love working here,” she said. “It’s so amazing. Had I not gone to PCC, I don’t think I would have found them.”

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