For many artisanal ice cream makers, winter poses a challenge. As families gather for festive meals, ice cream often takes a back seat to more traditional desserts like pies, cakes, and cookies. However, Patricia Gangan and Matthew Esparza, the duo behind the pop-up ice cream brand Chunky Butt Ice Cream, have found a way to make ice cream a star at the holiday table.
This year, the couple introduced their holiday-themed collection, “Pints for Pies,” offering three distinct flavors crafted to complement traditional Thanksgiving pies. These flavors include Vanilla Dream, designed to pair with apple, chocolate chess, or berry pies; Spiced Maple, a match for pumpkin, sweet potato, or lemon meringue; and Almond Stracciatella, ideal for bourbon pecan, cherry, or banana cream pies.
In a phone interview, Gangan and Esparza shared that the inspiration for their unique flavor combinations comes from Gangan’s extensive notebooks of ideas. The couple crafts their ice creams intuitively, releasing batches when they feel the time is right. “Trish is the mastermind,” Esparza remarked. “She thinks of the flavors and which ones pair best with different desserts.”
Gangan’s creativity seems boundless, as Esparza humorously added, “She doesn’t sleep.” Along with caring for their two-year-old child, Gangan’s mind is constantly brimming with new ice cream ideas. “We decided on Pints for Pies a week and a half before we released them,” she said, while adding that their Christmas flavors are still in the works.
From Pandemic Pop-Up to East Bay Favorite
Chunky Butt Ice Cream was born out of the pandemic. Both Gangan and Esparza had been working as savory cooks when the restaurant industry shuttered. Seeking a creative outlet, they began experimenting with ice cream in their Oakland apartment. “Ice cream is a basic necessity for us,” Gangan said, explaining their decision to invest in an ice cream machine after working as Instacart drivers.
What began as a passion project soon turned into a full-fledged business. The couple began delivering their ice cream pints to customers, one at a time, in the East Bay. “People started reaching out after we posted photos of our ice cream batches,” Gangan recalled. “We’d drop them off at people’s homes.”
As demand grew, Chunky Butt Ice Cream expanded with pop-up events across the East Bay, including in Albany, Alameda, El Cerrito, and Pinole. At one point, the couple hosted pop-ups in Emeryville, where lines of eager customers would gather every other Sunday. Now based in Pinole, Gangan and Esparza are considering whether to expand their business into wholesale or open a brick-and-mortar shop.
Collaborations and Flavor Innovations
Throughout their journey, Chunky Butt Ice Cream has collaborated with other local businesses. One recent creation featured a unique ice cream cake made with barako beans from Minorya Coffee and honeycomb crunch from Petite LaFleur, a local confectionery store. Gangan also draws heavily from her Filipino heritage, incorporating traditional ingredients like ube into her flavors. “I make it Chunky,” she says of her take on the starchy, sweet purple yam, often pairing it with torched marshmallow or brown-butter rice Krispies.
Despite their winter hiatus for pop-ups, Chunky Butt Ice Cream remains available at local specialty market Of All Places on Solano Avenue. Additionally, the newly opened Acorn Café in Oakland serves their ice cream alongside coffee on Sundays until noon.
As the holiday season unfolds, Gangan and Esparza continue to spread joy with their inventive ice cream flavors, ensuring that even during the coldest months, their sweet creations remain a highlight of any celebration.
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