A Brief History of Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts from the Roman Empire to Present Day

Culinary Historians of San Diego will present “A Brief History of Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert from the Roman Empire to the Present Day,” featuring Valerie Campbell, at 10:30 a.m., September 17, in the Neil Morgan Auditorium of the San Diego Central Library.

People around the world enjoy frozen treats, but you might be surprised just how long ago this practice began. Roman aristocrats and Persian Emperors enjoyed desserts made with natural snow. But how were these made and how were they transported in an era before refrigeration as we know it? What are the differences between the treats of old and today’s? Our speaker will answer these questions and more.

Valerie Campbell is a professional film and TV costumer with a passion for history and ice cream. When not working on film sets, she has experimented with creating new frozen dessert flavors and recreating old ones; and after twenty years of trial and error, wrote a book about her experiences. “The Stories and Recipes of Valerie’s Cat Eye sCream!” For several years, Valerie has served her authentic ice creams to guests at The Doctors House Museum in Glendale’s Brand Park, where she is a docent. She is also a creator on TikTok called @valeriescateyescream where she shares her love for ice cream making, art and stories about working in the film business.

The event is free and open to the public. A tasting will follow the presentation.