Pooja Bavishi wants to be where the ice cream is

The Malai founder on flavor development, the broader ice cream landscape, and more.

Pooja Bavishi is the Founder and CEO of New York-based ice cream company, Malai, known for innovative flavors that are infused with South Asian ingredients. Founded in 2015, Malai has grown to include four scoop shops and nationwide shipping. Ahead of their newest store opening in Manhattan’s West Village, Pooja and I chatted about how she thinks about flavor development, the broader ice cream landscape, and more.

Brianna Plaza: Can you tell me a bit about your path to ice cream?

Pooja Bavishi: I studied urban planning and public policy, but I was always the one who made dessert for my coworkers and celebrated birthdays and holidays. I kind of always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to start a dessert business, and that came to fruition. I was in my last semester of business school trying to figure out what my next step would be, and I made ice cream with Indians spice for the first time.

My friends would taste my ice cream and be like, “This is something we’ve never had before” and it was this emotional light bulb moment. It felt like me in a product. You cannot get more Americanan than ice cream, and these flavors were so ubiquitous to my upbringing.

But also I realized that Indian flavors were so otherized for so long and they were definitely not brought into the mainstream dessert space. I thought about American flavors and who gets to define them and how we can redefine them.

Brianna Plaza: I read you initially didn’t think your flavors would be accessible enough. What convinced you to try anyway?

Pooja Bavishi: I started Malai 11 years ago, which is a long time in the food world. New York now is a completely different ball game, and it’s funny to think about how apprehensive I was. Our most popular flavor, and one we never take off the menu, is the rose with cinnamon roasted almonds. Rose ice cream is super common in my family for dinner parties, but it was unheard of in the mainstream ice cream world at the time. I just didn’t think it was going to stick.

From day one, it has been our most popular flavor. There are so many learnings in there too of assumption-making and other info I’ve gathered in the last 11 years. In the beginning, I really wanted to make it accessible and palatable, but I was worried it might be too Indian. But as a I grew as an entrepreneur, I realized it’s not too anything. I am being authentic to myself and how I grew up.

People are going to connect to food in different ways, and I think that’s what the rose ice cream taught me: there’s an entry point that you might not be aware of, but it’s there for so many people.

Brianna Plaza: Do you adapt your flavors to western palates?

Pooja Bavishi: I am all in on calling these flavors American. I very much believe that these are as American as anything else.

I didn’t grow up in India, so I don’t have a vast knowledge of what all the flavors are. I have an idea, but I am not trying to recreate anything. Even our masala chai — it’s not a new flavor in this country, but I hadn’t seen it in an ice cream flavor in the US or India before. I am not trying to create anything, I am trying to create something from my memories and my stories.

So no, I am not catering to western palates. I want Malai to be know as the best ice cream you’ve ever had.

Brianna Plaza: Other than the rose flavor, have you been surprised by the popularity of any flavors?

Pooja Bavishi: We have a saffron and pistachio soft serve swirl, which is just so anticipated every single year when we bring it back. The flavor combination is just so entrenched in Indian culture. Saffron and pistachio are like peanut butter and jelly. I don’t think these flavors were seen before in soft serve.

When we opened in Philly last year, we just could not keep it in stock.

Brianna Plaza: How do you think about where your brand fits in to the broader ice cream landscape?

Pooja Bavishi: I always say that when we’re looking for spaces, whether it’s in New York or outside the city, you should want to be where the ice cream is. It’s always so wonderful to see so many competitors around you who are thriving. That means the market is primed for ice cream lovers and they know where they want to go.

I love when there’s a ton of ice cream shops around. Ice cream is a night food. You see people spill onto the streets with their cones and it’s exciting. We’re really excited about our new shop in the West Village because like our other shops, it’s a nice mix of retail and residential.

People go out to dinner and then get Malai after, but we also have our super locals where they open with their kids or whatever it might be. We felt that the West Village really emulated those neighborhoods we were already successful in.

You can’t get more New York than the West Village.