Popped crafts corn into frozen treats
Popcorn is no longer just for movie outings thanks in part to gourmet popcorn shop Popped, 9480 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 110.
The Las Vegas-based business celebrated its third anniversary in July by opening a second location, 3700 S. Hualapai Way, Suite 108.
Putting a twist on a traditional snack, the shop offers frozen popcorn by tossing it in liquid nitrogen, which changes the texture and flavor at a chilling -321 degrees, according to co-owner Olivier Morowati.
“We make all the popcorn in-house and just strain it through liquid nitrogen,” Morowati said. “It’s the same concept as dipping french fries in a deep fryer, except we deal with negative Fahrenheit where fries deal with positive Fahrenheit.”
Using all-natural ingredients, the shop’s flavors range from savory to sweet, including Pink’adelic (nerds, pop rocks, chocolate and raspberry), La Famiglia (Parmesan cheese, garlic and onion) and Dirty Vegas (a mixture of various flavors).
“We started with super high-end stuff and crazier flavors, but we’ve been toning it down,” Morowati said. “We’ll add a flavor here and there, but everything has been streamlined for the big picture.”
The idea of frozen popcorn sparked during a house party when friends and co-owners Morowati, Zelma Hulet and Jean-Francois Chavanel were in charge of the dessert station.
“We were all working together at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant on the Strip when we came up with the idea of frozen popcorn,” Hulet said. “Then we started talking about different business concepts and thought Popped would be a good one to try.”
Seven months after developing the idea, the team launched its first store in July 2011; however, Morowati said the trio continued to face hesitation from friends and family.
“We even had other businesses around us expecting us to close,” Morowati said. “Every business before us that had (the Eastern) space failed. It was like a haunted house of a storefront, so people were very hesitant that we would survive.”
Hulet said the doubt also stemmed from others not understanding why the trio would leave high-paying jobs on the Strip to open a gourmet popcorn shop.
“Everyone who has said we’d fail has come back to apologize,” she said. “They’ve always been supportive of us, but when we were in the decision-making process, everyone was definitely questioning our sanity.”
Now that the brand is established successfully, the trio hopes to start offering franchising opportunities in Nevada, Arizona, California and Utah.
“We’ve already had people express interest,” Chavanel said. “We also have a lot of customers on the East Coast, so we’d like to eventually head that way soon.”
While the owners admit to experimenting with other frozen snacks, they say Popped will remain strictly a popcorn shop.
“Our secret ingredient is love,” Morowati said. “We treat the brand as if it’s our child. We respect it, live it, breathe it, eat it. It’s all done out of love.”
Popped is featured at the Bourbon Room at The Venetian, Banger Brewery, Tutto at the Bellagio and The Cromwell. Prices range from $3 to $7 for bags and $20 to $45 for tins.
Private parties are also available during the holidays. Rates start at $150 for popcorn catering and $300 for nitrogen bars.
For more information, visit bestgourmetpopcorn.com.
Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.
