It was such a treat to interview Trang Hammond of Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream! The ice cream shop, located in North Park, introduces guests to out-of-this-world, premium ice cream each day. Can't decide on one of their delicious flavors? We recommend going with their famous flight option to try many flavors in one trip (yum!). Trang, take it away!

Please tell us a little about Hammond’s Ice Cream. What makes Hammond’s different than other local ice cream places in San Diego?
Hammond’s Ice Cream is super premium ice cream, consisting of 18% butterfat and very low overrun resulting in a dense, creamy and silky smooth ice cream eating experience. We take our ice cream seriously.

Our factory is located on the Big Island of Hawaii. The milk used comes from the happy cows grazing the grass on the factory farm and the fruits, coffees and nuts used all come from the local Hawaiian Farms. This is why you can taste the fresh flavors in our product. We also offer over 100 different flavors, but only 32 at a time. Some flavors we rotate but some we keep around all the time because of its popularity, like Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Peanut Butter with Oreo Cookies and Lychee Cream. What makes us different is that besides the super premium quality of our ice cream, we offer them in flights. We have specifically designed flight containers just for the flight cones and we are the only ice cream shop to offer them in hand made mini waffle cones as well. Because we offer so much ice cream, it is difficult for people to pick just one or two scoops, so we created the ice cream flight concept. We wanted the ice cream eating experience to be relaxing and enjoyable, so we created an atmosphere that both young and old could enjoy. We incorporate a lot of local art as well as used reclaimed pieces of wood for our counter tops and tables in order to preserve our environment as much as we possibly could.

Our customer service is also a big deal to us. We take our customers needs very seriously. We have a running list of customers to contact once their favorite flavor is back in the rotation.

What made you realize that you were an ice cream connoisseur? What’s your favorite flavor?
I never intended to open up an ice cream business, until a few years back when my husband and I tasted this ice cream in Hawaii and realized this is the best ice cream we had ever tasted. We had always wanted to start a small business so it pretty much came together after that first taste.

How do you come up with all your different flavors? Can we look forward to any new flavors for the fall?
The main chef for our ice cream used to be a pastry chef for Wolfgang Pucks. She has had many years creating flavors upon request. We trust her judgment and creative genius. Sometimes, I have an idea and I throw it out there. For example, I recently came up with Honey Lavender and it is currently one of our most popular flavors. I have some ideas in the works, but those will remain a secret for now. For the fall we currently have out Pumpkin Cheesecake. Starting mid-November we will be rolling our some Apple Caramel Pie and Praline inspired flavors. Once we get into the winter, we will be presenting flavors that are richer, like Hot Cocoa, Jack Daniels Cream, White Chocolate and Caramels, and Gingerbread Cookie.

Why did you choose to open up your first shop in North Park? Where is your next location going to be?
North Park is home to all of us. There are three owners (my husband and I and our business partner Dan Szpak). We all live in North Park and love the community. Interestingly enough, we are North Park’s very first ice cream shop. We knew North Park needed an ice cream shop, so we were happy to jump on that opportunity. Our next location is going to be in Pacific Beach on Garnet Ave. We are very excited about it.

Where is your favorite spot to be out and about in San Diego?
We have a two-year-old son so we love going places that he can enjoy. We like taking him to Balboa Park, the zoo, and the beach. Oh and the ice cream shop, of course!

Can't stop thinking about ice cream? Neither can we! Until you find your way to her shop, check out Hammond's website, or follow Hammond's Gourmet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.