Soraya Kilgore's MadLab Creamery Will Offer Soft-Serve Ice Cream and Japanese Cheesecake

Pastry chef Soraya Kilgore, the mind behind the brilliant desserts at Alter and Brava, is setting up her own shop. MadLab Creamery is slated to open in the Design District the first week of December, just in time for Art Basel.

MadLab Creamery will be located close to husband Brad Kilgore's newest projects, Ember and Kaido, slated to open in mid-2018.

Kilgore says she chose the Design District for the artistic inspiration it affords. "It is a neighborhood that breathes art, creativity, and beauty. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? The area is a vision of what Miami should be and is. Walking down the corridors from one court to the other, being exposed to the colors, the textures, the art, the architecture, and uniqueness is exciting, and it incites creativity."

Italian architect Gaetano Pesce designed two prominent ice-cream-cone features for the façade. Ice-cream-cone-patterned flooring and pink accents dominate the interior design. Indoor and outdoor seating will be available, and treats can be taken to-go as well.

Soft-serve ice cream will play a large role at MadLab. Confirmed ice-cream flavors include French vanilla and an Ecuadorian chocolate made with República del Cacao.

Kilgore says three additional flavors — such as condensed milk with rosewater, violet, mango/passionfruit, halva, apple pie, salted dulce, strawberry/rhubarb, cherry, or guanabana — will be rotated. A coconut ice cream will be available for vegans, and paletas will be introduced at a later date.

MadLab will offer more than 20 toppings produced from scratch, including marshmallows, cotton candy, candied cocoa nibs, torched crème brûlée, and nitrogen sprinkles.

Guests can also enjoy chocolate by the slab, bonbons, and Japanese cheesecake, an item inspired by a recent trip to Japan. "The Japanese culture is amazing, and they are not afraid to be out there with sweets," she says.

Kilgore describes it as a sponge cake with cheesecake. The batter is similar to that of regular cheesecake, but lightened with whipped egg whites, which makes it airy and jiggly, and containing cake flour. The Japanese cheesecake will also be used as an ice-cream topping.

MadLab Creamery. 140 NE 39th St., Miami.