In the world of food, there are some classic combinations that have stood the test of time…peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, coffee and donuts and wine and cheese. The owners of El Jardin in the Live Oak neighborhood of Santa Cruz want to add another great pairing to that list: Mexican food and ice cream.
El Jardin has been serving award-winning Mexican cuisine to Santa Cruz families for 16 years.
The current owners, Manuel “Manny” and Jerry Rangel, have each worked at the restaurant since the early days, starting as busboys and dishwashers and moving up to become wait-staff and eventually managers. In 2017, they were given the opportunity to purchase the Santa Cruz location of the restaurant and they jumped at the chance.
Like many businesses, Covid hit El Jardin very hard. Fortunately, they survived, but after the pandemic they were looking for ways to grow and expand the business. They had two main goals. First, they sought to attract more families. Second, was to bring in more Hispanic customers.
As they brainstormed, they thought of things that would get kids to ask their parents to take them to the restaurant. They considered an arcade or game center and other kid-focused activities. Then the perfect idea came to mind – an ice cream shop! Quickly thereafter “Jerry’s La Michoacana” was born.
There was a small space in the back of the restaurant that was being used for storage and as an employee break area. It was just big enough to create a small café, with a key advantage being that it had its own entry, so customers could access the shop without having to come into the restaurant…unless they wanted to.
A partnership was formed with Marianne’s ice cream and they now feature 16 flavors. Another partnership was formed with La Michoacana – a favorite ice cream brand from the State of
Michoacán in Mexico – and they offer 8 flavors with more expected soon.
“Our mission is to share with the Santa Cruz community all the great flavors that Mexican culture and cuisine have created,” said Manny Rangel. “Here locally, La Michoacana is not yet as well-known as Marianne’s, but it is extremely popular among the Mexican community. By bringing these two much-loved brands together, we can offer Santa Cruz a unique experience.”
In addition to Marianne’s and La Michoacana ice cream, Jerry’s La Michoacana offers Aguas Frescas, and they take a unique spin on that as well. “Most people are familiar with Horchata and we have that,” Manny Rangel says. “But we also offer flavors like Tamarind and Chia Lime, among others. We want to give our Santa Cruz customers a richer variety of flavors. And for those customers who come in for Happy Hour, they love how our Aguas Frescas can be mixed with rum or vodka for a refreshing and unexpected cocktail option.”
This idea of unique and fresh flavors extends to their selection of Mexican snacks as well. Case in point: the “Mangonada” combines mango sorbet, fresh mangoes, tajin and chamoy. The result is a rush of flavors on the tongue – sweet, spicy, salty and sour – with the smooth, coolness of the mango sorbet underneath it all. Extremely refreshing!
Other snacks include “Fresas Con Crema” which features strawberry sorbet, fresh strawberries and sweet cream and “Esquites” which combines corn in a cup with lime, chili powder, salt, cotija cheese and mayonnaise. Just as interesting and innovative is the “Dorilocos” or
“Tostilocos” which brings together Doritos or Tostitos chips with cucumber, jicama and lime, in either a spicy or mild seasoning. They also offer more than 10 flavors of popsicles.
Again, Manny Rangel emphasizes the importance that El Jardin places on bringing a broader range of Mexican cuisine, culture and flavors to the Santa Cruz community. “Our customers have been very receptive to experiencing these new flavors that have been favorites among Hispanics for quite some time. They also love the idea of having an ice cream shop in Live Oak that offers a local favorite like Marianne’s with a longtime Mexican favorite like La Michoacana.
This marriage of local culture with Mexican heritage is very well received in Santa Cruz.”
Open from 11am to 9pm, Jerry’s La Michoacana can be accessed directly from the Capitola Rd. side of the building in which El Jardin operates. Customers can also visit the ice cream shop as part of their dining experience at El Jardin.
By Joan Hammel
