World champion, ice cream farmer, artisan chocolate… In Puy-en-Velay, these ice cream bars are out of the ordinary to attract gourmets.
It’s a summer must-have. Ice is everywhere this season and Le Puy is not immune to this frosty tidal wave. While strolling along the cobbled streets of the old town, it is impossible not to come across a “young person” licking the ice cream he has just indulged himself with. Ice cream or sorbet, there are two schools of thought. Cone or small pot? Here, too, opinions are divided. Before you ask yourself this question when choosing your perfume, you should already know where to go. In the Marian city, like any self-respecting tourist destination, you are spoiled for choice. And to attract customers, some have been able to stand out and their formula hits the mark.
world champion 2018
At the foot of the Rue des Tables, one of the most popular streets for tourists, two ice cream parlors are robbed every day. Starting with Mezia and its terrace, which is always full this summer. A glacier like no other. And for good reason, its manager Rémi Montagne is a world champion! “I won the Gelato World Cup in 2018. A few years later, in June 2022, Mezia was born with a first shop in Pont d’Arc in Ardèche. But we had always wanted to establish ourselves in Le Puy, and we did so last year,” says Rémi Montagne.
A few meters away, the Bio Givrés teams and their neon green t-shirts catch the eye. “We are farmers in Arlempdes and we make our ice cream on the farm,” explains Nicolas Brenas, co-manager of the company. We work exclusively organically, from A to Z. » Like its neighbour, Bio Givrés plays the card with quality and locality to create its products. “The milk and cream come directly from our farm, the strawberries and raspberries are grown in Ceyssac, and we buy the eggs from Monastier…”Eskimos. Ice cream comes in all forms at Le Puy.
On the store side, the customer finds their way easily. Cone or small pot, one or more balls… And classic and more original perfumes. “Chestnut and blueberry are very popular. Other, more unusual seasonal flavors also manage to find a place in customers’ hearts, such as ginger pineapple or lemon mint basil…” concludes Nicolas Brenas.
Not far from the Place du Plot, an air of dolce vita invades the Rue Saint-Gilles. Opened to great fanfare this year, the Italian ice cream parlor Amorino offers a host of flavors directly imported from La Botte. And a little special feature: the ice creams are served in the form of flowers. Each petal can have a different flavor, depending on the gourmet composing his or her ice cream. “The product is much colder than traditional ice cream. It is this temperature that allows us to process the material into flower. It is much easier to handle,” explains Gabrielle, salesperson at Amorino.
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Eskimos with Haute-Loire milk
With its giant chocolate fountain and its tempting window, the Carré Croquant, Jérémie Ségalas and Émilie Rousset store does not go unnoticed on rue Courrerie. Opened in March, the second store for the pair of artisan chocolatiers also focused on ice cream for the summer season. A strategy between quality and local products that bears fruit. On sale since early May, the Ponot duo’s Eskimos are selling like hotcakes. “All the Eskimos are made in our laboratory on rue Saint-Jacques with milk from Sainte-Eugénie-Villeneuve. The verbena and blueberry sorbets are made with local products and we get our chocolate from Valrhona. This is the first year we are offering our Eskimos and we are very satisfied, the quality and craftsmanship are very satisfactory,” Jérémie Ségala rejoices.
The hardest part will be choosing…
Nathan Marliac
