Lucy’s Lab Creamery

The New York Times Best Selling book, “Food Rules an Eater’s Manual” by Michael Pollan, is a delightful guide to healthier eating. One of the more compelling tips was the idea of limiting desserts to the 3 S’s: “Saturdays,” “Sundays,” and “Special Occasions.”

But with such a limited window to enjoy your sweets, where should you go to make your weekend dessert order count?

Overheard at last month’s “New Wave Friday” event at the South Shore Market was a woman who had her very first taste of Lucy’s Lab Creamery. “This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of ice cream.” It’s hard to argue with her.

In 2014, Lee Wang opened Lucy’s Lab Creamery in Kaka‘ako. Wang quickly became known for his creative, homemade flavors created in-house: Fruit Loop Vodka, Whiskey Bacon and his signature Pan De Crème, a warm toasted bun with a creamy sweet center.

We talked to Wang about his new shop in Ward Village’s South Shore Market and about his unique background, which is just as interesting as the flavors he creates.

You’re an unlikely ice cream shop owner. Tell us about your background.

I'm a realtor gone wild! I work as a real estate broker for Locations and a sales consultant for Ke Kilohana.

How did Lucy’s Lab get started?

Locations hosts a dessert competition at our annual company picnic. My friends and I would try making strange flavored ice creams after dinner. One of the popular ones was Bacon Whiskey. I entered and won. There were many unhappy aunties. 

Who is Lucy’s Lab named after?

After my mom. She passed away from breast cancer so we donate a portion of proceeds to breast cancer charities. 

What was your opening in South Shore Market like?

Crazy. Fun. Hectic. Happy. It's always good because no one walks out of an ice cream store unhappy.

What are some of your most unusual flavors?

I'd say Cola is our most polarizing flavor - you either hate it or you love it with a passion. One of new ones, Watermelon, is also really interesting as an ice cream.

Tell me 3 of your top flavors to indulge in on the 3 S’s and why?

Saturday: Coffee and Donuts (gotta get that morning wake up).

Sunday: POG Sorbet (when you're out and about, nothing is better than icy POG).

Special Occasions: Honey Lavender.

Where do you get your ingredients from?

We get our cream from dairies on the Big Island and our flavors are all natural. We try to source as much as we can locally but some of the yummiest flavors come from other amazing locations around the world.

What are your influences when you’re coming up with flavors?

It's all friends and customers. I'll try anything that sounds interesting even if I know I won't like it. It's fun to experiment.

What do you love about ice cream?

It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, from Vanilla to Orange Szechuan Peppercorn. It can be extremely intricate and deep, with rich, aromatic flavors with different mouthfeels, textures, thicknesses, flavors - or it could be simply ice cream which you don't need to think about too much.

What do you like about being a part of Ward Village?

Ward Village is the future. It's exciting to see the skyline of Hawai‘i continue to develop and see the city grow. Ward Village isn't simply about putting shops in a shopping center or buildings to call home - they've really put so much into building a community. It's amazing to be part of that. 

Plan this weekend’s 3 S’s at Lucy’s Lab Creamery.