Elena's On Orange: Outrageously Good Ice Cream & Test Kitchen in New Haven

From cookie butter to mango chai, Elena’s has tried it all when it comes to soft serve. Sitting on the corner of Orange and Canner, Elena’s on Orange has been serving the New Haven community since November of 2022. Although, many may argue it feels like it's been around for much longer, because of how seamlessly it blends into its surrounding neighborhood.  

They’re recognized for their innovative test kitchen that locals flock to every Wednesday evening where they come out with a new weekly flavor. Their test kitchen is run by Geena Fram who is responsible for creating weekly flavors and sourcing fresh ingredients. The idea for the test kitchen comes from Elena’s having an extra machine available and Geena desiring more freedom to think up her own ice cream creations. “Sometimes there are flavors that are a little too labor intensive or too special to do for the whole week right off the bat” says Fram.

The flavor I had the pleasure of trying this week was Bananas Foster which featured a subtly banana flavored soft serve topped with a caramel drizzle, finely chopped walnuts, a caramelized banana slice, and dollops of homemade whipped cream. Elena’s is taking soft serve to another level, balancing out the creaminess and sweetness of the banana ice cream with the chewy caramel with a distinct brown butter flavor, completing it with the slight crunch from the chopped walnuts. 

Not into the crazy flavors, not a problem. Elena’s has you covered with their classic vanilla and chocolate soft serves, you can even get them swirled together. Most won’t even notice, but their rich chocolate soft serve is oat based and dairy free! Their most popular item is Elena’s favorite which is soft serve with their signature chocolate dip, coated in sea salt flakes which perfectly balances out the sweetness of the chocolate.

According to owner Elena Grewal, making the shop fit into the neighborhood was “something that we did really intentionally, and we also brought people in before we opened to really give a lot of input on the menu”. The New Haven community has played a huge role in Elena’s success and Elena relies on them to provide feedback on their test kitchen flavors. “We have this really active community that likes to hang out now on Wednesdays” says Grewal. Then on Thursdays, Elena’s brings back a highly requested flavor from a previous week of the test kitchen. The flavor brought back on Thursday sticks around until Monday, then Elena’s is closed on Tuesday’s in preparation for a new test kitchen flavor every Wednesday. To give feedback on the test kitchen flavors and request to bring one back, you can DM them on instagram or comment on a post. They also have a QR code that can be scanned in store for customer feedback and requests.

When thinking up new flavors, Grewal gives credit to their diverse neighborhood and consequent access to cultural food hubs such as T-Asian Market, Hong Kong Market, and the nearby Bazaar. Whenever possible Elena’s sources local ingredients from farms and farmers markets. Due to their unique test kitchen concept, Elena’s is able to create hyper seasonal flavors such as they did with their pawpaw fruit flavor. You can find the test kitchen flavor in the bio of their instagram @elenasonorange. 

Elena’s has been serving up anything but your average soft serve for the past few years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. If you're in the New Haven neighborhood be sure to check them out, and don’t miss out on their Wednesday night test kitchen if you want to try out some ingenious flavor combos!