Sweet Clementine’s offers unique treats

Tired of the September heat? Nestled in a corner of the bustling Grand Central Market is newly opened Sweet Clementine’s Pops, a cart selling fresh popsicles with innovative new flavors on a daily basis. The cart is small — almost easy to miss — but it is well worth finding.

Owner Layne Eiler started the project in 2012, transporting her own fresh fruit popsicles in a cooler to various special events around the Los Angeles area.

After decorating her cart with colorful stripes and floral prints, the next step for Sweet Clementine’s Pops was to have a tasting, and after conducting one in April, the company officially launched on April 17, beginning with pop-ups at Handsome Coffee in the Arts District. After these pop-ups became successful, Grand Central Market approached Eiler about bringing her popsicles to the facility, and she’s been there ever since, six days a week, with pop-ups at Handsome Coffee every Wednesday evening.

The move-in of Sweet Clementine’s also marks another step in Grand Central Market’s ongoing revamp headed by consultant Joseph Shuldiner and the management team to bring more foodie-friendly venues to the market. The Grand Central Market is an incredibly busy venue on Broadway Street in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles — about a 10-minute drive from the USC campus. There are many different permanent food venues ranging from fruits, vegetables and different cuts of meat to authentic Mexican or Thai food. Nonetheless, Sweet Clementine’s proves that it is able to keep up with the pace of larger stations by successfully crafting refreshing popsicles with a wide appeal.

Eiler acknowledged that there is  high demand in the frozen yogurt world, but it seemed to her that all the dairy used in frozen yogurt can feel heavy and dense, and she wanted a lighter alternative. She makes the creatively flavored popsicles every evening in her kitchen, but said that she is in the process of moving into a commercial kitchen. Eiler summed up the need for refreshment in the sweltering California summers with a simple “we should have popsicles.”

The popsicle flavors vary from day to day, since they are all made the previous night. They are made without preservatives or artificial anything — simple and pure with real fruit and raw ingredients — and sold for $2.50 each. They come wrapped in a small sheet of wax paper atop a thick wooden toothpick and are just the right size for an indulgent snack.

The strawberry basil popsicle is a popular flavor, and the combination struck a delicious contrast between the succulent strawberries and the subtle pepperiness of the basil. The texture of the popsicles was also somewhat grainy, but that only went to show how organic the product really was. The popsicles tasted homemade in the best sense of the word, and there were no secrets as to what ingredients were put into the product. They were truly natural and delectable fruity treats.

Other flavors of the day included honeydew ginger, watermelon lime cayenne, and a pluot medley. The pluot popsicle was a flavorful combination of flavors, bringing the sweetness of a plum together with the tanginess of an apricot. Other flavors range from lemon buttermilk to blackberry, yogurt, and honey. At the end of the day, Eiler said she  hopes to “bring something that’s a healthy, quality product with that nostalgic feel.”

Sweet Clementine’s Pops has only been up and running for about four and a half months, and the contract with Grand Central Market is temporary. When asked about the possibility of a storefront in the future, Eiler said she is thinking of expanding, with some exciting new plans starting in the fall — not a storefront per se, but other upcoming projects.

Eiler says she considers the cart to only be a seasonal business, but there’s sure to be more to come from this California native with a love for satisfying food.

 

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