kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

Not since the glory days of TCBY have I been so excited about a frozen confection. A bit over a month ago, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt opened its doors over in Sulphur. It’s not on my way to anywhere I go. Maybe that’s a good thing. But I don’t mind making a trek every now and then. It’s my new favorite culinary destination.

Now I know to all you readers from bigger or more cosmopolitan cities, Orange Leaf and other similar frozen yogurt chains – Pinkberry, Red Mango – are not a new concept. But here in Lake Charles, well, we often lag behind current trends. We catch up eventually. Me, personally, I’ve been waiting for this a long time.

Back in the 80’s, TCBY was all the rage. A novelty at the time. I worked and attended grad school (Pitt) in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh and went to TCBY nearly every day. Couldn’t get enough of the stuff. All I can say is, frozen yogurt has come a long way.

For anyone not familiar with self-serve fro-yo (Being that we live in southwest Louisiana, we can call it Freaux Yeaux) here’s the deal. You walk into a colorful cheery store front and are warmly greeted by a young kid working his way through college.

You choose a cup size – larger or largest (the Sulphur store conveniently runs out of the smaller of the two regularly. These folks know marketing.)

Then you face a wall of 16 yogurt flavors. And of course you can mix and match. A daunting decision-making process. Everything is so tempting. They offer samples.

Next you deliberate over a smorgasbord of toppings. Hmm, more decisions.


And then you pay by the ounce. Guess which one was mine.

I think we need one of these places in Lake Charles. How about you? Do you have a favorite neighborhood frozen yogurt shop? Tell me about your experience(s).

4 comments:

Mamashag said...

You 'must' visit Yogurtland in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although I haven't tried Orange Leaf yet, my daughters have, and those two have sampled almost every yogurt bar from Baton Rouge to Houston. They give Yogurtland the "Best Yogurt" award. Try it, you'll love it. I'm just glad Sulphur has the Orange Leaf location, and I think I'll give them a try tonight!

OrangeLeafLA said...

Thanks so much, Angie! You will be HAPPY to know Orange Leaf is coming to LAKE CHARLES! We appreciate our customers SO much, and strive to make sure everyone's visit is just how you explained. (Except for the shortage of 16oz cups-we will work on that) Our FREAUX-YEAUX speaks for itself, as you well know. Thanks again for your kind words!

Jess said...

Yogurt Mountain is by Books a Million in Lake Charles. It is just like Orange Leaf.

Angie Kay Dilmore said...

Yes, Jess, I've been there, too, and love it!