SHOREWOOD, IL — After six months of extensive renovations to the inside of a former barber shop along Route 59 near the Home Depot, Luis Garcia and his family recently opened La Michoacana Shorewood next door to his parents’ restaurant, Mi Tierra Burritos.
The owners of La Michoacana Shorewood say they make artisanal Mexican ice cream and snacks with the freshest ingredients.
La Michoacana opened June 28, so July marks the first full month of being open. The new ice cream shop and restaurant is near the McDonald’s. La Michoacana’s address is 647 Brook Forest Ave.
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La Michoacana is now open seven days a week, from noon to 9 p.m.
Luis Garcia and his family are carrying 26 to 27 ice cream flavors. There’s the traditional one scoop cone, two scoop cone, plus there’s waffle cones available.
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“One of our biggest sellers has been the bubble gum,” he remarked.
What’s the biggest challenge, so far, being a new ice cream shop-restaurant in Shorewood?
“Getting our name out there and being part of the community, trying to attend all the festivals,” Garcia replied.
Cajeta has been another hit with the customers, the owners noted. The cajeta ice cream is dulce de leche. Oreo, lime and mango flavors have done well as has the more traditional flavor, Chocolate chip cookie dough, explained Luis Garcia.
“The ice cream recipes are passed down,” Garcia said. “They went from my grandparents to my aunt and to me, so three generations.”
Garcia is proud of his ice cream and believes that first-time customers from the Joliet and Plainfield area will be impressed once they visit La Michoacana.
“You take one bite, it fills your mouth with flavor,” Garcia said. “I think people will notice. Not to sound cocky, but our ice cream is really good.”
In addition to ice cream, La Michoacana sells a wide assortment of popsicles; one of the top sellers has been the hot chocolate popsicle, which is called Chocolate Abuelita. The Paletas are a Mexican frozen treat made from fresh natural fruits such as strawberry and mango.
There’s also Elotes and flavored waters available at La Michoacana.
During Tuesday’s interview, Joliet Patch asked Garcia what makes the Mexican style ice cream different from traditional ice cream.
“Ours is creamier,” he said. “All the fruits, we buy everything fresh. It’s all local.”
La Michocana is family owned, and it’s not part of any franchise.
Garcia said his parents own two restaurants, the Mi Tierra Burrito in Shorewood and the one in Romeoville on Weber Road. He is operating La Michocana along with Ivonne Garcia, along with their staff, Julianna and Diana.
“The way we make it in Mexico, it’s very artisanal,” Ivonne Garcia explained.
“We’re just going to keep adding to the menu,” Luis Garcia added. “We plan to rotate flavors. We’re asking the community what they want and get the community involved in the process.”
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