Izolanka: A Sweet Ode to Izola at the Ice Cream Parlor and Café Pri Ekremu

The ice cream parlor and café Pri Ekremu boasts a long history and an innovative approach that merges tradition with modern methods. A recent renovation has brought freshness and modernity to the space, creating a pleasant ambiance. Focusing on healthy local ingredients and sustainable practices, the café is setting new benchmarks for sweet cuisine in Izola. We spoke to Ajhan Saliji, one of the managers.

To start with, can you describe the history of your ice cream parlor and café Pri Ekremu? How did your story begin?

Our family has lived in Istria since 1952, when my grandfather moved to Piran from Macedonia. At first, he had a small ice cream parlor in the town center of Izola, where our family worked between 1954 and 1963. A year later, he relocated to Sončno nabrežje, where we remain today. There used to be a gas station here. I remember the story of my grandfather, who used to come here every day for a month, standing all day counting the people who walked past. Only when he was sure that enough people came by did he decide to accept the location. So, the ice cream parlor and café Pri Ekremu has been here for a really long time, with each generation adding something new and different to the story.  

As we're sitting here, I can definitely feel the fresh and modern vibe. You've recently renovated the place. Why did you decide to do that?

My brother and I now run the company together as the third generation of our family. We both saw the potential for tourism development in Izola and decided to add a boutique hotel above the café. We recognized the opportunity in the increased demand for accommodation. A few years ago, we bought the upper unit and converted it into a small hotel with 10 rooms. Along with the upper renovations, we decided to refresh the café. My wife came up with the conceptual design and all the details, and an interior designer helped us turn these ideas into reality. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our external contractors and the support of our family. We are grateful to everyone who was involved in this ambitious project.

Have you noticed any differences since the renovation?

Of course, I can see some differences. The effort we have put in as a family has paid off. Now, in addition to our regular customers from Izola and other parts of Slovenia, we see new faces visiting us. We are very pleased that young people enjoy the new offer. The renovation was necessary; we had known that for a long time, but we were waiting for the right moment. We are thrilled that the new ambiance is now attracting visitors and the positive reactions and happy customers mean the most to us.

How has your range of desserts, cakes, and ice creams evolved over the years?

We have been improving our ice cream and desserts over the last ten years. We work with the best Italian and domestic technologists who have given us a new perspective on ice cream and confectionery. We have undergone a lot of training to come up with recipes based primarily on healthy ingredients, good texture and natural flavors. Along the way, I've discovered my mission. I have always been involved in the family business, which I knew and still know how to do. But for a long time, I didn't understand why I did it or what my mission was. Two years ago, my perspective changed completely when I met an Italian technologist who taught me a lot. Above all, he made me think deeply about our work. That's when I discovered my mission: to sell something that is healthy and clean.

What are the most popular choices among your customers? Do they prefer ice cream or desserts?

The most popular pastries are definitely Izolanka and the pistachio cake, and the most popular ice cream is the pistachio extreme.

One of your specialties is Izolanka. Can you share its origin story?

Izolanka was created around 2010 when, at one of the tourism industry meetings, former mayor Igor Kolenc encouraged us to think about how each one of us could contribute to tourism in our own careers and with our individual skills and knowledge. My father came up with the idea of a dessert that would represent Izola. We started the project in cooperation with the primary schools in Izola and the Tourist Board. Together, we slowly developed the recipe for Izolanka – a signature dessert of Izola. Our idea was: »Let's give Izola an equivalent of Bled cream cake (kremšnita). « The name for the dessert was finally chosen by primary school pupils. I really liked the project because it involved many people. I have to say that Izolanka has been very well received and has become recognizable.

Is Izolanka connected to local history or tradition? What are the ingredients?

Izolanka is made up of different layers of white and dark sponge cake. The darker layer is made with walnuts. The cake is moistened with natural orange juice, which gives it freshness and nutritional value. The natural vanilla cream binds everything together.  

How important are local and seasonal ingredients in the making of deserts?

We try to use fresh fruit and always take the seasons into account. We also offer breakfast for our hotel guests and we're fully committed to offering fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients every day. I regularly visit local markets to buy fruit and vegetables. In the spring, we started serving breakfast to external guests as well. We serve eggs, homemade cheese, olives, pastries and orange juice. Our customers love the breakfast or brunch.

How do you apply sustainability and environmentally friendly practices?

This has always been very important to us, which is why we decided to apply for the Green Key certification even before we opened the hotel, and we've successfully obtained it. We also wanted to apply for the Green Cuisine label, but unfortunately, it's not available for ice cream parlor yet. But we will certainly do that as soon as it's possible.

I have to say that the adjustments we have made towards sustainability, the complete energetic renovation of the building, are definitely positive. Not only from the environmental standpoint, which is of course extremely important, but also in terms of cost reduction. It may take a while to fully grasp certain novelties, but then you see that it all just makes your job easier.

Your kitchen is quite surprising to look at; it's not often you see such a beautiful, tidy, even impeccable kitchen.

Cleanliness has always been one of the most important things for me. My parents brought me up that way. Everything has to be clean and disinfected. We do pay a lot of attention to that. We work with food and our main audience is children. Believe it or not, we regularly have meetings regarding cleanliness, recycling, sustainability etc.

How do you adapt to the evolving tastes and preferences of your customers? We live in an age of allergies and intolerances, especially to gluten. There’s an increasing number of vegans, people are becoming more aware of what they eat. How do you keep up with these trends?

We started following these trends three years ago, introducing a vegan gluten-free ice cream, without lactose and white sugar. We also offer flavors that are completely sugar-free. For example, we only add fructose to fruit flavors. In the future, we will also focus on vegan cakes and desserts, as there is a lot of demand and we see a lot of opportunities there.

How have guests reacted to the additional ice cream offer? How many of these ice creams do you sell on average?

This change has been extremely well received, as we have a wide range of ice creams suitable for everyone – for people with allergies, diabetes, etc. We also use different scoopers for vegan and regular ice creams. I would say that we sell about 60% regular ice cream and 40 % vegan variants. I would like to emphasize that we really do choose pure, natural and healthy ingredients. Steve Jobs once said, and I will always remember this, »If you want to make everyone happy, don't be a leader. Sell ice cream.« (laughs)

What is your vision for the future of your ice cream parlor and café? How do you envision it in five or ten years?

Our mission is to sell healthy products, and we will continue doing so in the future. One of our ambitions is to strengthen our cooperation with local farms. And perhaps expand the hotel.

What innovations or projects can we expect?

We would like to invite everyone to try our breakfasts and brunches, which we offer every day between 8 am and noon. We have also added non-alcoholic cocktails and flavored lemonades to our menu and we are planning on adding flavored hot chocolates in winter.

We’re also planning a major breakthrough in terms of promotion. We are in the process of setting up profiles on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok with the help of an external collaborator, so we will also focus on digital promotion in the future.

What do you personally like the most about your profession?

I like confectionery because I like to create. There's no end to creativity when it comes to desserts and ice cream … you're always learning, creating, the work is never monotonous. And in the hotel, I'm motivated by customer satisfaction and feedback.

How are you different from other cafés and ice cream parlor in the area?

I think the biggest difference is awareness. We want to make and sell really healthy products and we're constantly working on that. We want to ensure that what we offer to the guests is of good quality and healthy. I believe that the stomach in really our “first brain”. The food we choose to eat hugely impacts how we feel.

What do you think is the recipe for success? What has helped you on this journey?

I think the most important thing is to be happy with what you have, to keep evolving and working towards your goals. To be guided in life by positive emotions and not by greed. I also believe that good always stems from good. Deriving from my profession, I would say that everyone can add what they want to their recipe for life; we all have a free hand here. But we have to realize that what you give is what you get. It’s positivity and perseverance that motivate me to keep following my path. 

Finally, some personal experiences and recommendations from Ajhan Saliji:

If I were a dessert, I would be: pistachio extreme ice cream.

An experience in Izola I really enjoy is: any experience related to the sea.

Something I always recommend to my guests is: visiting the restaurants, Parenzana and the old town.

My favorite event in Izola is: The Fishermen's Festival.

My favorite free time activity is: spending time with my family.