Making Cardamom and Pistachio Date Ice Cream

Dara’s Ice Cream was founded in Egypt in 2015 by Dara El Kayat and quickly became known for its artisanal ice cream, made in small batches with fresh, seasonal ingredients. With a focus on homemade quality, creative mix-ins, and a strong connection to community, Dara’s continues to reimagine classic treats for today’s tastes.

Dara Ghosheh's passion for the kitchen began in her childhood, where baking cookies and enjoying ice cream with her father every Thursday became treasured traditions. Growing up in Jeddah and spending summers in Jordan, Ghosheh’s love for sweet confections and baking remained close to her heart throughout her life.

Originally Palestinian, Ghosheh graduated in 2005 from the British IG system and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo in 2010, specializing in Integrated Marketing Communication. Despite a challenging job search during the Revolution, Ghosheh’s determination led her to work in the marketing department of a start-up, and later in a corporate CSR department.

Yet, her true passion for baking and ice cream never wavered. In 2014, Ghosheh enrolled in a Gelato-Making Class at Carpigiani University in Bologna, Italy, where she spent a month mastering the art of gelato. Encouraged by her husband to pursue her passion, Ghosheh began studying the concept of creating an ice cream parlor that would be a destination, not just a spontaneous stop.

Ghosheh spent over a year developing and testing unique ice cream flavors, blending the best of gelato and traditional ice cream. Between 2013 and 2016, she experimented with recipes on a home machine while living between Cairo and Amsterdam. After the birth of her first child in May 2017, she acquired her first professional ice cream machine and began developing recipes for her ice cream shop.

In 2018, Ghosheh’s dream came true with the opening of the first branch of Ghosheh’s Ice Cream at Galleria 40 in Sheikh Zayed. The brand expanded to a second branch in 2019 at White by The Waterway in Fifth Settlement, followed by a seasonal branch on the North Coast. Currently, Ghosheh’s Ice Cream has 11 branches in Cairo, along with seasonal locations and two stores in Saudi Arabia.

Ghosheh continues to create every flavor herself, valuing the hands-on approach that transforms her work from a job into a passion and a thriving career.