Jo Malone London’s newest fragrance is called Raspberry Ripple and its summer launch event at its boutique in The Woodlands’ Market Street development certainly created happy waves. Lucky attendees were treated to scoops of ice cream and sweet bites from local favorite Luliet Creamery & Bake Shop, founded by pastry pro Nelia Shehaj. The celebration was part of The Woodlands boutique’s quarterly series spotlighting local female entrepreneurs.
This is certainly the sweetest collaboration yet.
“Raspberry Ripple takes its inspiration from the British coastline,” Jo Malone store manager Nadia Gill says. “It brings to mind childhood summers — those hot and humid days with a breeze in the air and a craving for ice cream.”
Luliet’s Sweet Start
Shehaj’s journey from home baker to sweet shop owner began at Houston Community College. She enrolled in a pastry class taught by a superstar of the pastry world.
“He wrote the textbook used in pastry programs at many colleges,” Shehaj tells PaperCity The Woodands. “I’d always thought pastry was ‘square.’ But once I realized you could break the rules, I wanted to take every class he offered.”
She eventually opened Luliet, an all-natural bakery. The goal was to offer a one-stop dessert experience, with macarons, brownies, cheesecakes, cakes and cupcakes.
“I wanted to have a full bakery,” Shehaj says. “When families come, everybody has something to enjoy.”
Ice Cream, the Old Fashioned Way
Shehaj knew she wanted to offer ice cream, too — and she wanted it to be exceptional. So she went back to school. She enrolled in the Ice Cream Short Course (yes, that’s real college class) at Penn State University, the oldest and best-known educational program focused on ice cream science and technology in the United States. It’s a complete cow to cone program.
Luliet now makes its ice cream from scratch using all-natural ingredients. Each 100-liter batch takes three days to produce — from mixing, pasteurizing, cooling, curing and freezing.
The small-batch process allows them to create custom flavors for events and seasonal offerings for the shop. A vintage-inspired ice cream cart adds charm to the catering services — and a cute way to scoop ice cream on-site.
“We’re one of five or six shops in the city that’s making ice cream this way,” Shehaj says.
Jo Malone Boutique’s quarterly series has also highlighted other Houston-based entrepreneurs, including fashion designer Nadia Schwab, jewelry maker Susana Vega and bespoke hat designer Katie Monsen.
Jo Malone London is located in Market Street at 9595 Six Pines Drive, Suite 960 in The Woodlands. The store is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am to 9 pm, and Sundays from noon to 6 pm.