Who Are We?
Hi! We’re Gagan and Kiran, the duo behind Kulfi. We kicked things off in 2019 with a bike cart, slinging frozen treats around Portland.
Why We Do This
As first-generation South Asians, we often found ourselves caught between two worlds—balancing the traditions of our immigrant parents with the desire to fit in with the culture around us. At times, this meant feeling like we had to hide the South Asian parts of ourselves. This experience inspired us to create something different—a place where families of all generations could come together and find something they loved, a space where everyone could feel seen. Above all, we wanted to build a place where future generations could feel proud of their roots and carry them forward.
Our menu reflects this vision. Some of our flavors honor traditional kulfi, like our roohafza-inspired Rose City. Others, like our Cookie Monster with a Parle-G twist, are playful mashups made with the next generation in mind.
Our Journey
Gagan did the pedaling, Kiran worked the magic in the kitchen, and together we set out to share the South Asian flavors we grew up loving—but couldn’t find anywhere in the city we call home.
We built a following by rolling our cart out to local farmers markets, events, pop-ups, and by collabrating with other small businesses. Starting with just the cart gave us the chance to connect face-to-face with our community—especially the kids we’ve been lucky enough to watch grow up over the years. We truly love what we do, and we believe it shows in our enthusiasm and every interaction with our customers.
After a couple of years working out of a commissary kitchen and vending out of our carts, we found a teeny tiny walk-up space on Alberta Street and nervously decided to go for it. We quickly realized we had underestimated ourselves (and how much the awesome community would support us), because we didn’t even make it through the first summer before realizing how desperately we needed more space. That’s when we found our shop on N Williams—and we were so excited to finally have a big kitchen (seriously, the kitchen alone is double the size of our entire Alberta space!) and a place where our customers could sit, gather, and enjoy their desserts.
For the Community, With the Community
As we grew our little business, we started hearing stories from our customers—stories that sounded a lot like ours. People searching for the tastes of home. People who didn’t often see their cultures represented. We listened, and we began rotating in flavors that celebrate not just South Asian roots, but also the vibrant flavors of other communities often overlooked in mainstream dessert spaces.
Now, some of our most popular offerings came from this idea—like ube, which is now so beloved we can't take it off the menu. Some of our most popular specials also grew out of this spirit of inclusion and collaboration: baklava, Vietnamese coffee, ube falooda, and our Kunafa Sundae just to name a few. (Follow us on Instagram to know when those drop—they go quick!)
Kulfi is about more than just dessert. It’s about building community and spreading joy. We support causes that matter to us, give back to our community, and collaborate with other small businesses to grow together.
