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Kream Kong attempts the heights of homemade ice cream and cookies

Entrepeneurial couple Stephen and Diane Tchen have taken a careful approach to developing their homemade ice cream truck. After two and a half years of planning, Kream Kong recently made its debut in Southern California.

Stephen and Diane Tchen have launched Kream Kong, a food truck featuring homemade ice cream and cookies.

October 10, 2018 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

After spending close to eight years in shoe sales, Stephen Tchen felt it was time for a change. Two-and-a-half years ago, when he was not yet 30, he and his wife, Diane, became enamored with the Rollin' Creamery store in Fountain Valley, California. The store inspired them to start their own ice cream business.

"They're known for their Thai fried, rollup ice cream, which is pretty much made on the spot," Tchen said of Rollin' Creamery. "We just thought it was really interesting." The store always had at least a 45-minute wait for service. 

"What's causing everyone to come to this place waiting 45 minutes for ice cream?" he wondered. 

"Kong's Cookie" was inspired by the Pizookie, a dessert served by the BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse chain.

Plans take shape

After doing some research, the couple decided that Thai fried rolled ice cream was most likely a fad that would not last more than a few years, so they opted to focus on traditional homemade ice cream.

Their first idea was to open a brick-and-mortar ice cream store. But with no business or culinary experience, they were wary. They were especially concerned about having to sign a multiyear lease agreement required by most retail properties in high traffic locations. An ice cream truck seemed like a more flexible alternative to begin with.

After two-and-a-half years of planning, Kream Kong, a black truck bearing a blue-green King of the Apes cartoon image, recently made its debut in Southern California, offering homemade ice cream and cookies.

"There aren't that many ice cream trucks that sell handcrafted creamy ice cream," Tchen said.

The entrepreneurial couple realized they were getting into a competitive business, so they took their time planning every detail of their ice cream truck. Tchen took a three-day class on making ice cream. He spent a year-and-a-half perfecting his ice cream-making skills before quitting his regular job. 

They researched recipes online. "You can pretty much learn anything on YouTube nowadays," he said. They came up with a lot of recipes and sought feedback from friends.

Developing a signature product

Their signature product, "Kong's Cookie," is a "reverse ice cream sandwich" (ice cream, cookie, ice cream) served in a cup. The product was inspired by the Pizookie, a dessert served by the BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse chain.Kream Kong's version features a bottom layer of vanilla ice cream capped with a chocolate chip cookie, which is then topped with a second flavor of ice cream. Over all is a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of Oreo cookie crumbs.

The Tchens hired a contract manufacturer to build an ice cream machine capable of making ice cream according to their recipes. They also rented space in a shared kitchen to bake cookies using ingredients sourced from local markets.

They first tested their products at a weekend food festival attended by approximately 40,000 people. Because their truck was not yet built, they sold ice cream and cookies from a booth, and were pleased with the sales.

Truck takes shape

By early spring, the Tchens had purchased a used truck, gutted it, and hired Legion Food Truck, an experienced food truck builder in El Monte, California, to construct their truck from plans approved by Los Angeles County.

Tchen took out a loan to cover the cost of the truck, which has a freezer, a refrigerator, a hand-wash sink and a three-compartment sink. He did not wish to reveal the amount of his investment. Diane Tchen has kept her job working for a wine distributor, and helps out with the truck evenings and weekends.

The truck offers six to eight flavors of ice cream and two to three kinds of cookies. Customers can request any combination of ice cream and cookies. Regular ice cream is $4 per scoop, $6 for two scoops and $8 for three scoops. The signature Kong's Cookie sells for $7.

The first event for the Kream Kong truck was an employee party at a local radio station in early August. About 400 people attended; the Tchens were pleased with their sales.

As the Tchens are still in the early stages of their journey, they have hired a public relations consultant to raise awareness for the truck. The consultant, Bob Bradley, has already generated considerable awareness in local news and social media, Stephen Tchen said.

Part two in this two-part series will explore the Tchens' efforts to raise awareness for the Kream Kong brand, which they hope will eventually take the form of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. 

Photos courtesy of Kream Kong

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.