(upbeat music)
- For only the second time in Chicago's Best
history, I'm wearing shorts.
(man whistles)
- Which can only mean one of two things:
one, I only got half dressed today,
two, it's a roasting hot summer's day in Chicago.
Ironically, the answer is both.
(electric air)
And as Sabrina knows, the best way to cool down
is at Little Lulu's Italian Ice.
(upbeat music)
Let's talk about Little Lulu's Italian Ice.
Who is Lulu?
- The face is my daughter.
- [Elliott] Aw.
- And the name came from a cartoon,
about a little girl that gets in a lot of trouble,
but she's cute so she gets out of it.
♪ Little Lulu, Little Lulu,
♪ With freckles on your chin.
(salsa music)
- So you're the face of the place?
- Yeah.
- [Elliot] You're your mum's boss.
- [Daughter] Yeah.
- If she does something wrong,
that reflects badly on you.
- Yeah.
- Are you happy with how she's
doing at the moment?
- (laughs) Yeah.
(salsa music)
- [Elliot] You're a photographer, how does
a photographer become an owner and operator
of an Italian ice place?
- I wanted to create a healthier option for my kids.
I'm also an Italian ice connoisseur myself,
and you have to drive really far to get good product.
So I decided to create something
that was more local to my neighborhood,
that I could give my kids without having to worry
about a bunch of different junk in there that I didn't know.
- It's really good Italian ice,
we don't really find it very often.
- It's just, better than any other place
you could go to.
- It's a really nice summer treat
and gets me the energy I need to get through work.
- [Elliott] You have some unique and outstanding
flavor combinations, right?
- Yes, we've got raspberry,
we've got watermelon, which we'll be making today.
- [Elliott] Why'd you choose that one?
- It's fun, and we get to chop it up
and destroy the watermelon,
which is always exciting.
(watermelon splitting)
- We're just gonna go for it today.
- Right now, you're probably asking yourself,
how crazy is that son of a beep?
(audience laughs)
(salsa music)
- This is I know,
is a watermelon.
- Do you know how to cut it?
- [Elliott] Well yeah, obviously.
How do you cut it?
- [Autumn] Cut it half first.
- [Elliot] 'Kay.
- [Autumn] You're gonna start at the top,
and you're gonna skin it down.
- [Elliott] It's like a haircut
for a watermelon.
- [Autumn] You gotta go a little bit deeper,
so you get the white off.
- Have you been on vacation this year?
Just, small talk.
- Oh, yeah.
- With a haircut.
- [Autumn] Actually, you know, I have.
- Oh, I was talking to the watermelon.
- Oh.
(sad trombone)
- Beautiful!
- Twenty dollars.
(cash register sounds)
- [Autumn] Now, the fun starts.
- Power tools.
- Hooray!
(audience cheers)
(electric whirring)
- Yeah!
(electric whirring)
- It's very exciting,
one of my favorite parts of the job.
- Zero apologies for acting like a child.
- [Autumn] So now, we're gonna make our mix.
Water,
- [Elliott] Simple syrup, and our star.
- [Autumn] See, not much sugar.
- [Elliott] Yeah. Mixing again?
- Mix again.
- Yeah!
(electric whirring)
- Boom.
(upbeat music)
- Beautiful job.
Now we turn it on,
and we wait for it to turn into ice.
- You, um, you got some ready right?
- Yeah.
(cartoon beep)
(electronic music)
- So we finally have the fruits
of our work.
- Yes, hard work.
(electronic music)
- Oh my goodness,
it packs a punch.
And now I know that it's good for me,
that it's not pumped fulla sugar,
it feels like I'm actually eating something healthy,
but it's so sweet.
- I love how fresh it is,
and how refreshing it is,
when it's so hot out and you're on the go.
If you can't be by a pool,
it makes you think that you should be.
- [Elliott] What is this?
- [Autumn] This is our Fruishy,
it's an Italian ice slushy.
- That, I'm a fan of.
This, I'm blown away by.
- Thank you.
- [Elliott] I know why I think you're the Best,
and why Sabrina thinks you're the Best,
I wanna know why you think you're Chicago's Best.
- I think it speaks for itself,
it's delicious, it's refreshing,
it's all natural, it's healthier.
- You know where I'm at right now?
Brainfreeze, cheers.
- Cheers.
To Chicago getting a summer,
a long one.
(electronic music)
(firework explosion)