-- This is a preorder title and will ship on or after June 16, 2026 --

A celebration of Black culinary history, creativity, and joy—with 100 wildly inventive homemade ice creams, sorbets, and nondairy flavors.

For generations, Black ice cream makers and entrepreneurs have shaped American food culture—yet their stories have been buried deep. With every ice cream flavor Lokelani Alabanza creates, she pays tribute to their legacies, shedding light on Black culinary history.

Her recipes include Parmesan, which dates back to at least the mid-1800s when Alabanza’s ice cream fairy godmother, Sarah Estell, was making it at her ice cream saloon at 89 N. Cherry Street in Nashville; a brightly hued Juneteenth Sorbet made with raspberries, hibiscus, and lime; Gin and Juice, a boozy watermelon favorite; an earthy Sorghum; and a tart Buttermilk Plum.

Designed for home cooks of all skill levels, Ice Cream Queen builds on simple bases for recipes that range from refreshing and fruity to adventurous and decadent. Whether you’re a history buff, dessert lover, or kitchen experimenter, this cookbook offers something entirely new: Ice cream as an act of memory, identity, and Black excellence.

BIO

Lokelani Alabanza’s professional culinary journey started in the United States, at the New England Culinary Institute. From there, her love of food has taken her around the world. From her first kitchen job in Denmark to her time working as a private chef in Japan, her travels have expanded her palate and refined her ability to create incredible food.

It was in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of renowned pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind, that Loke’s passion for pastry cooking was ignited. There, she worked with Dahlia Narvaez and Nancy Silverton at the now-shuttered James Beard award-winning restaurant Campanile, before landing in Nashville, as Culinary Director for Hattie Jane’s Creamery. Lokelani’s time there grew both her passion for ice cream, expanded her experience (while at Hattie Jane’s, she created over 300 flavors), and her love of integrating nostalgia into her cooking. Today, she creates beautiful flavors that spur the imagination while educating consumers about African American culinary history. 

[H]  W. W. Norton & Company  /  June 16, 2026