NEW ORLEANS — When you think of desserts created in New Orleans, Bananas Foster and Baked Alaska come to mind, but now you may need to add a third one, called Laozi Ice Cream.
It was created by a man who turned his life around from addiction.
When you hear the name Laozi Ice Cream, it's not ‘lousy’ meaning bad. It's Laozi, after the philosophical Chinese figure from the 5th century B.C. And this man's story is just as unique as the name, as well as being inspirational.
“It's art. It's my form of art. The medium or canvas is ice cream,” said Sam Caruso, 42, founder and owner.
In a tiny space, tucked in the back of a donut shop at 4301 Canal Street, is a different kind of ice cream people wait for in long lines.
“My life kind of developed in a way that I could never put together myself.”
A few years ago, after being severely injured on his bike, a quote popped up on his feed: “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”
It was from “The Art of War.” So, Sam Caruso decided to reinvent ice cream. He spent endless hours at home, working on the formula, while designing names and labels, and hundreds and hundreds of never thought of flavors, all made from scratch, like movie theater popcorn ice cream.
The following on Instagram, brought long lines until he was shut down for selling from his kitchen. That began a journey of perfecting each batch overnights in a coffee house kitchen.
“I'd go in at 6 p.m. and just stay in there sometimes 12 hours. Sometimes I'd be walking out and the barristers would be walking in at 6 a. m. I mean every single day grind, grind, grind, grind away,” he explained.
Everything is done by hand, and only by Sam.
“I'm so certain that what I'm doing is special, and it's what I'm supposed to be doing. I just know that. I just put it all back into the business.”
And he's not slowing down.
“Hopefully maybe scale up and have it in stores in New Orleans, then have it in stores in Louisiana, then have it in stores across the country. That's the plan,” Caruso said.
But Sam also reinvented something more difficult.
“I woke up at 37 years old and didn't even know who I was, or even how to communicate,” he remembers.
From age 10 to 37, Sam used just about everything, alcohol, pot, crack cocaine, heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.
Addiction brought stealing, homelessness, jail, and restraining orders from his own family. In 2017, he decided to do everything the detox and 12-step program told him to do.
“I put my recovery first is the bottom line. When it comes down to it, I put my recovery first.”
In his spare time, Sam goes to prisons, jails and rehab clinics to help others with addiction.
“Let people know you can do anything that you absolutely want to do. There's a way out. If I can do it, trust me, and believe me, when I say anyone can do it.”
People have offered to invest in Laozi Ice Cream, but Sam did not feel the timing was right. He has his sights set on getting a place and opening a cafe' called Mid-City Homemade.
It takes him two weeks to make his batches of ice cream, so he is only open every other Thursday and Friday. Check out his days and menu on his Facebook or Instagram accounts.
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