Jasmine Chida
Sweet Cup Gelato & Sorbet Originale | Houston
December 2019
There is a real school in Bologna, Italy, called Gelato University and Jasmine Chida is one of the fortunate graduates. Chida’s love for ice cream comes from her father, who would end every good day with a bowl it. However, it wasn’t until 2010 when she first tasted gelato during her Italian honeymoon, that her life changed. Excited by the new world of possibilities, Chida started studying dairy science and experimenting with flavor combinations. A year later, she was back in Italy studying gelato at Carpigiani Gelato University in Anzola dell’Emilia.
Prior to Gelato University, Chida received her MBA from St. Mary’s University while working full-time at the San Antonio Express News. In 2012, passionate, gutsy Chida went all in and left her career in public relations to open the doors to SweetCup Gelato & Sorbet Originale in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. To date, the bootstrapper has developed more than 200 recipes and has grown her frozen diary reach to include a second location in Garden Oaks, and an off-site manufacturing facility producing pints for the shelves of retail locations across the state, including the coveted freezer space at Whole Foods, as well as Central Market and select Marriotts. When creating new flavors, like toasted black sesame gelato and Key lime-cilantro sorbet, Chida finds inspiration in her Greek and Persian roots, her time growing up in San Antonio, and her husband’s south Indian background. A tenacious, savvy businesswoman and entrepreneur, Chida has bought out two of her major frozen treat competitors and has plans for further expansion en route to becoming Gelato Queen of Texas, and beyond.
