These fresh-fruit, Latin American-inspired ice pops are Tacoma’s coolest summer treat

While visiting family in Puerto Rico, John and Amber Jones embarked, unexpectedly, on something of a paleta crawl.

They immediately fancied the ice pops, whose name derives from the Spanish “stick,” formed with whole fruit and real sugar, an icon of Latin American dessert. They persuaded their relatives to join them on this adventure by promising they would pay — as long as they could taste every flavor.

That was several years ago, the couple of more than 20 years explained in June. They returned to the island twice, in part to visit family but also to explore more paleterias. At many, they said, you can choose to dip the paleta in different kinds of chocolate, coat it in graham cracker crumbs, sprinkles or Pop Rocks.

“It was a whole thing,” said Amber. “That’s our ultimate vision. But we just gotta get out there first.”

Chill Paletas debuted at this year’s Tacoma Farmers Market, where you can find a rotating cast of six or so flavors every week.

At their booth on Broadway (Thursdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) mid-June, I paused to survey the selection. Amber asked if I wondered what they were; I just couldn’t decide which flavor to try first. John mentioned that he loved the sourness of the parcha (passionfruit), strawberry and mango.

“I think that’s the most difficult one,” he said. Under its outer shell and thick pith, the viscous passionfruit, dotted with dark seeds, is “very touchy.” To freeze it, he and Amber learned, requires a precise amount of sugar and an extra step — passionfruit first, then layer in the strawberry and mango with a wisp of lemon and lime zest and sprinkle of chia seeds.

After battling the cellophane wrapper for an embarrassingly long 30 seconds, I took a bite and slipped into iced euphoria. Surrounded by the hum of conversations between maker and neighbor, relishing fresh fruit on a stick — there’s little better on a bluebird afternoon.

The very next day, I walked to the Eastside market, now at Stewart Heights Park, with an old Igloo softpak cooler in tow. I admitted that I had met them yesterday and was back for more, and I was prepared to return home with a half-dozen.

A customer, chocolate-dipped coconut bar half-consumed, sauntered back to the Chill Paletas booth. “It’s just… coconut!” she exclaimed. The ingredient list is short indeed: finely shredded coconut, coconut cream, a bit of rice milk and sugar. Similarly, the mango cream packs the luscious tropical fruit with a blend of rice and coconut milk, and the strawberry tastes like strawberries (with a pop of lemon zest).

The 20-plus rotation also features blueberry-pomegranate-lemonade, strawberry-pineapple-kiwi with a slice of the latter frozen in time, spicy pineapple — not kidding with a trio of chiles — and a “hot chocolate” laced with cayenne. In progress: hibiscus raspberry and elotes.

From the market cooler, the paletas are soft in a way that defies their frozen reality. (At home, you might have to play with placement in the freezer, adjust the temperature, or simply leave out for a minute or two before tearing the wrapper.) To create that texture, the duo realized over many months of test-runs at home, they needed a dash of salt.

“We came home and were like, ‘How do we make these?!’” recalled John. “You think about making a popsicle and it should be easy and straightforward. With whole fruits, how do you make them freeze? How does sugar and salt affect the freezing? We nerded out a little bit.”

“Salt makes the flavors pop but also keeps them soft,” explained Amber.

Last fall, John and Amber completed the Pierce County Business Accelerator program, which supports local startups with coaching, networking and grant opportunities. The biggest hurdle, they said, was finding a commercial kitchen space, which they did early this year in Lakewood, where they blend the fruit and quick-freeze the pops.

Making a splash at all three Tacoma Farmers Markets this season, as well as the Black Night Market and special events including the Fourth of July Summer Blast on Ruston Way, their future plans involve taking the paletas throughout the South Sound. They have already built a cooler on wheels.

CHILL PALETAS

▪ facebook.com/chillpaletastacoma, instagram.com/chill_paletas

▪ Find at Tacoma Farmers Market: Broadway on Thursday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Eastside/Stewart Heights Park on Friday 3-7 p.m., Dune Peninsula on Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

▪ Also at Black Night Market: June 30, July 28 and August 25 at Haub Field, 4-10 p.m.

▪ Details: handmade paletas in rotating fruit flavors, $6.75 each ($6.50/half-dozen, $6/two-dozen — pre-orders welcome)