Ice cream with a kick: L.V. entrepreneur hopes to break through with boozy treat

By Chris Kudialis

Friday, March 18, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Back when he was an IT pro working in California, Leif Pearson was on a bused work trip to Las Vegas when a desire for a drink kicked in.

The bus driver had told the crew of about 60 employees that no alcohol was allowed on board. So their concoction of booze and fruit punch had to go.

“You’ll figure something out,” the driver said, as recalled by Pearson. “You IT people are smart.”

Four years later, Pearson is hoping to carve a career out of ice cream infused with alcohol, his solution for those four-hour bus trips. A graduate of the Meadows School, Pearson moved back to the valley in 2015 to open a plant for Momenti Spirited Ice Creams, with a goal of becoming a national ice cream brand.

The brand, which Pearson says translates to “moments shared” in Italian, comes in five flavors: White Russian, Cookies & Cream and Chocotini Chip ice creams to go with Blackberry Cabernet and Limoncello sorbets. Though the Momenti plant won’t open to the public until early May, Pearson’s local clients already include Las Vegas’ two Vintner Grill locations and a growing number of Strip casinos. He said he wanted to reach out to higher-profile restaurants and clients before becoming a household name in grocery stores down the road.

“When you’re a business owner, growing too fast can kill you just as much as growing too slow,” Pearson said. “Your sourcing really has to be in order.”

Pearson’s company, which began with a two-pint household ice cream maker, now includes a custom warehouse loaded with machinery, capable of producing over 185 gallons an hour. Momenti is owned and operated by Pearson, his father Niels, mother Gloria and sister Nikki, who, with some temporary consultants, combine to run the entire company.

Pearson says his average work days start at 5 a.m. and lasts until about 6 p.m. He used to live in the plant, but finally got his own place nearby after he found out it was a fire hazard for him to be living there.

On Thursday, Pearson mixed an “Irish Car Bomb” concoction for St. Patrick’s Day, featuring homemade ice cream, Baileys Irish Cream and Jameson Irish Whiskey. He says he has at least 15 flavors in mind for the near future. But flavor development can take “several months” as a recipe goes through trial and error, and “perfected” to meet state and federal standards.

“Once alcohol gets involved, the (Alcohol and Tobacco) Tax and Trade Bureau wants to know what you’re doing, the feds want to know what you’re doing and the state wants to know what you’re doing,” Pearson said.

Pearson said his goal, besides making a profit and living a dream career, is to give back to the community he calls home. Last year, he founded the Future Leaders of Las Vegas, an organization that contributes to underfunded charities in the valley.

“It’s important to fill your own cup and then to others,” he said. “This is going to give me the vehicle to do that.”