Elephant Garden grows artisanal ice cream business in Vancouver

Just four or five years ago you'd find Betsy Ng of Elephant Garden Creamery experimenting in her home kitchen with making her own ice cream. Ng was working full time doing quality assurance for a food company, and a colleague who noticed her blossoming love of the frosty treat and offered her a home ice cream machine he and his wife weren't getting an use out of.

Hooked on the fun of creating freshly-churned ice cream--not to mention eating it--Ng threw herself into learning as much as she could about the art and craft of making ice cream.

@elephantgardencreamery/Instagram

Ng says she had long dreamed of opening a dessert shop in Vancouver, but understood the need to hone in on a sweet speciality, and not jump into anything too soon, considering the tremendous financial risk a food business poses.

So off Ng went to "Ice Cream University," a week-long intensive annual ice cream business course offered by Penn State. The program has been around for over 100 years, and alumni include Jeni Britton-Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and Ben Cohen of a little ice cream biz called Ben & Jerry's.

While Ng says she learned more about large-scale ice cream production at Penn State, she furthered her savvy on the process of making ice cream professionally, then hopped into another course on gelato-making that refined her knowledge on the actual formulation of ice cream recipes, and the business side of things.

And then it was time to make it a business. Ng was able to leave her full-time job and turn all her attention to the artisanal ice cream business she and her brother and business partner, Bruce, decided to call Elephant Garden. The name, she explains, comes from her love of elephants and his love of gardens.

Creating Elephant Garden's line up from a commercial kitchen space, Ng sells pints of flavours like Hong Kong Milk Tea, Malted Milk Chocolate, and Avocado Milk at Vancouver Farmers' Markets. Available in single-serve cups, too, once the weather warms up, Elephant Garden has been growing a following steadily since last summer, and now it's time to grow again.

Avocado Milk pint (@elephantgardencreamery/Instagram)

Ng says she's secured an East Vancouver space where Elephant Garden Creamery will open up a permanent scoop shop. Fans and newcomers to her line of signature ice creams, many influenced by Asian flavours and foods, will have what Ng promises a "safe and happy spot to enjoy ice cream" in a tranquil, comfortable space.

Ice cream certainly does have the ability to bring people together, and Elephant Garden's diverse flavours reflect how multicultural Vancouver itself is. "They aren't conventional flavours," acknowledges Ng, who also wants to make sure her line-up "appeals to all palates."

The Avocado Milk, explains Ng, is based on an avocado milkshake drink you'd find at many pho restaurants, while Cereal & Milk was inspired by Christina Tosi's beloved MilkBar creation. There's a Mango Lassi, as well as numerous sorbettos using fresh seasonal B.C. produce. And because her love of creating flavours is still strong, Ng says she's currently developing more to add to the menu as the scoop shop prepares to open.

While details about Elephant Garden Creamery's storefront are still being ironed out, those who want to check out the ice cream can find Ng and her cart two to four times monthly at the VFM's Nat Bailey and Hastings Park winter markets, and about twice monthly from May to August at Riley Park.