Wynston’s Ice Cream Co is all about bold flavors – it’s not just chocolate ice cream, this is FTW chocolate. We managed to get a peek into the kitchen where Chris Wynn whips up the flavors, while Sarah Wynn draws in the crowds out front. Together the founders told us all about how North City has supported their business dreams.
It all started with a simple ice cream machine, and a desire to share the goodies with the neighbors. It didn’t take long before Chris Wynn’s knack for whipping up crowd-pleasing flavors outgrew the kitchen, and a commercial ice cream machine soon received pride of place in the garage. But the flavor could not be contained: in 2019, Wynston’s Ice Cream Co burst out of the garage and onto the streets of North City, where it quickly became a much-loved neighborhood destination.
We caught up with husband and wife team Chris and Sarah Wynn for a chat about all things ice cream.
The cherry on top of every day in North City
First things first – please tell us about all your incredible flavors!
Chris: To be a quality ice cream store, you have to do the classics great. That means having a stand-out chocolate, a super vanilla. You need a great cookie dough, a cookies ‘n cream, and a classic mint chocolate chunk. We started by working on those recipes until we really felt like they were great.
Then, we experimented. The comfort classics will always be there, but when you come to Wynston’s, it will always feel new because more than half the menu changes every single month. For Lunar New Year we made a flavor using baijiu, a Chinese liquor that I tried on a visit. Sarah grew up in Brazil with avocado ice cream, so we made an avocado flavor inspired by what she ate as a child.
Our parmesan and apricot ice cream ended up winning West Coast Flavor of the Year at the North American Ice Cream Association. It was first popular in the US in the 1700s, when parmesan was a luxury Italian import – I modernized the recipe. It doesn't really taste cheesy, as it's the nuttiness of the cheese that comes through.
That sounds so fun. What makes Wynston’s special?
Chris: We push flavor more than your typical ice cream shop. When we put mint in the name, you’re going to taste mint. If it says whiskey, you’re going to taste whiskey.
Sarah: We’re extremely picky about using the best ingredients. We are such small batch producers that we literally go to the local farmers market and buy our ingredients there. We'll use the local summer strawberries, and if they’re sweeter this year, that means the strawberry ice cream will be a little different this time. It doesn’t just feel very local, it is.
A range of changing flavors including Cherry Pie a la Booze and Deconstructed Snickers
How did Wynston’s get its start in North City?
Sarah: We moved to San Diego County, just up the road from North City, nine years ago. Chris has had a passion for ice cream his whole life, and we've always had a dream of entrepreneurship. After starting out making ice cream for friends and neighbors, we were connected with the owner of Union Cowork and Sea Breeze, who gave us the opportunity to take 100 sq ft of space in the lobby. We grew from there.
Do you still make the ice cream yourselves?
Chris: We now have about 45 employees across two locations, but I’m going to make some ice cream myself later today. I often come to the kitchen to experiment with new flavors. Ice cream combines art and science in a way that’s really intriguing to me. The science of how it freezes changes depending on how much sugar is in it, if there’s alcohol, how much air you add when you’re whipping. You have to bring all these things together to get the right flavor and texture.
Blue Moon
Chris grew up in Michigan, where Blue Moon can be found in every creamery in the state. Hints of vanilla and citrus bring an almost sherbet flavor into the rich, creaminess of the ice cream.
What’s it like to run an ice cream shop in the community?
Sarah: We don't want to just be the place with the best ice cream. We want to be the place where the ice cream memories are happening for the community. North City is very family oriented, and we love that it’s a walking community. At Wynston’s, we have free “booboo scoops'' for kids who’ve had a hard day. We want to celebrate family moments, and we try to treat customers like we’re a local family.
Chris: The developers in North City understand the pressures of being a small business owner, and have been more than willing to help. From day one, it’s been about partnership: if we're successful, North City is successful and vice versa. It’s very collaborative. We know the people that like to come down here, and what they're looking for. It’s good to know that we have a voice here.
Visit Wynston’s Ice Cream Co at 250 North City Drive, Suite 7. For opening hours, go to wynstons.com.
