‘Venice by Ocean’: Ice cream for home and the heart
Oceanie
‘Venice by Ocean,’ the name behind ice cream guru Oceanie De Silva comes with the skills and pioneering geniuse that would make any one toss out a store bought tub of ice cream and scurry on to purchase her unique mouthwatering range.
With 24 flavours and counting, ‘Venice by Ocean’ stretches the comfort zone of our palates with new exciting flavors like After 8, Salted Caramel (made with actual sea salt), Turkish Rose Pomegranate, Butterscotch etc.
Oceanie’s warm, bubbly and inviting persona made us drawn to learn more of the hand behind the ice cream making.
A practicing freelance consultant, who settled back in Sri Lanka in 2014 she says, “food has always been in my blood.” With no initial intention of making it a business, Oceanie first introduced her ice cream to her overzealous family at dinner parties. Oceanie describes herself as a sentimentalist bringing a bit of her family and love for food in one creamy mixture.
Her brand’s namesake is derived from “Venice”, a now closed Italian gelato parlorwhich Oceanie once called home, annexed to her nickname ‘Ocean’.
Greatly influenced by her travels, Oceanie hand picks a variety of ingredients from Europe, Asia and the US that she churns into the creamy mixture allowing her to serve a bit of the world in a tub of ice cream. Her vision ? To introduce Lankans to a wider palate, not entirely pushing them off the deep end but introducing flavors that speak of comfort whilst also encasing “experiences of travel and memories of food,” she adds.
The range of infamous recipes such as Georgia Peach Cobbler, Hershey S’mores, Organic Crown Maple Walnut, Japanese Green Tea Matcha have imported ingredients to ensure that the quality remains. With no added preservatives or gelatin, ‘Venice by Ocean’ doesn’t compromise on flavor says Oceanie.
First off we savored her Oreo Cookie Monster, her way of paying homage to the Sesame Street cookie demolisher, however when we were served the ice cream it was pink in color. Seeing our befuddled faces Oceanie laughs it off, informing us that she customized it for Valentine’s Day. Rich, creamy smooth ice cream with generous chunks of Oreo’s; we allowed the cookie and cream to melt in our mouths. The softened cookie enhanced the creamy, smooth texture of the ice cream. For someone who has there culinary curiosity under strict lock and key, this is one for you.
Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The Coffee with Oreo has the same base of smooth, creamy ice cream foundation, found in brand, combined with generous chunks of Oreo. The innovative twist in this particular flavor is the strong essence of coffee that hits you in the first bite. The combination of chocolate wafers and cream filling of the Oreo sandwich coupled with the strongly brewed coffee ice cream had us in near temptation of scraping the edge of the bowl for more. A coffee lover’s delight.
Two days prior notice is required before an order is placed. Oceanie’s handmade ice cream can be preserved for 4 weeks at its best, supposing it lasts that long without a wandering spoon dipping in for a “snack”.
A 1 litre tub of ice cream is Rs. 1250 and
50ml at Rs. 650 with special flavours (depending on the order) going at a price range of Rs. 1,600 –
Rs. 1,800 for 1 litre and Rs. 850 – Rs. 950 for 500ml.
‘Venice by Ocean’ is Oceanie’s way of giving thanks to her father, her husband and her family; her biggest support systems. Ice cream and Venice holds a special place in Oceanie’s heart and the care and effort she puts into her dessert is plainly seen from the quality of the ingredients, the hand beaten smooth, creamy texture, to the fact that her dessert can be enjoyed by all. Love in every bite,Venice by Ocean is well on its way to being a household name in the market.
For more information email her at venicebyocean@gmail.com