The Ice Cream That Won the War

Once upon a time, off the coast of Venezuela, on the small desert island of Curaçao, there was an ice cream story. But not just any ice cream story—one that helped win a war.

It all began with Otto Senior and his wife, Rosalynde "Lalinda" Salas, descendants of Sephardic Jewish families who had settled in Curaçao over 400 years ago. Lalinda owned a beloved cake shop on Heerenstraat, where the sweet scents of vanilla and spice filled the sea air.

But on this particular day, she wasn’t in her shop. She was at the harbor, eagerly awaiting her husband’s return from New York City.

Otto struggled down the gangplank, carrying a large wooden crate stamped DO NOT DROP.

“I’ve brought you a gift!” he announced with a grin, setting the box at her feet.

Lalinda raised an eyebrow. “A gift?”

“An ice cream machine!” Otto beamed. “You won’t believe it! While in New York, I visited the Ritz Hotel and had the most incredible dessert—soft cakes like yours, but layered with ice cream. It was like eating a cold cloud! I thought, This is the perfect gift for you!”

Lalinda sighed. “Otto, we are in the middle of a war. There are no supplies. No flour, no sugar, and certainly no milk.”

Lalinda was right, Curaçao had become important for the war effort supplying nearly all of the fuel used by the Allies. American soldiers arrived to defend the island, while German U-boats lurked offshore, torpedoing supply ships and causing severe food shortages.

But Otto was resourceful. He found a way to make ice cream using powdered milk, and soon, he was serving frozen treats in Lalinda's cake shop. One evening, a U.S. Navy commander walked in out of the 32° sun.

“Here is the last ice cream,” Otto told him, handing over a small cone.

The commander sighed in delight. “This is delicious! Tell me—where do you get fresh milk? My troops need it.”

Otto leaned in and whispered, “The secret is powdered milk.”

By the end of the evening, they had struck a deal. The U.S. Navy agreed to transport large shipments of powdered milk from the United States, while Otto helped set up dairy production on the island. And so, Curaçao’s milk industry was born.

After the war, as life returned to normal, Otto and Lalinda transformed their shop into Ritz Ice Cream, and it became an instant sensation. Families lined up around the block. Ice cream carts appeared on every corner. Ritz Soda Fountains popped up across the island.

Otto and Lalinda introduced new frozen delights—Temptees, chocolate-covered popsicles that melted like silk, and Palu Frio, icy fruit treats bursting with the flavors of the Caribbean sun.

In 1989, Otto and Lalinda has pass on and the ice cream factory finally closed its doors. But in a fitting full-circle moment, the factory building was transformed into Curaçao’s Ritz Hotel—a tribute its founders.

Few know about the chance meeting with the U.S. Navy commander and how Otto and Lalinda’s secret ingredient helped win the war.