Liquid Nitrogen Specialists Spun Ice Cream to Chill Out on East 7th

A unique made-to-order ice cream shop will open next to butcher shop and restaurant Salt & Time next year. Spun Ice Cream will use liquid nitrogen to create their frozen treats, a process that freezes batter in less than a minute and results in smaller ice crystals and creamier texture. The shop will also have a major focus on seasonally rotating toppings.

Sisters Christina and Ashley Cheng are behind the project . Ashley Cheng is the communications chair for Slow Food Austin (she was also previously a regular contributor to Eater Austin). Christina Cheng is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Austin and has spent ten years working in Austin restaurants and bakeries.

In an email, Christina Cheng says, "What I love about ice cream too is all the flexibility we'll have to play with different topping combinations. Plus, ice cream just makes people happy. What could be better than opening a business that makes people happy?" Cheng also notes she's "obsessed with Salt & Time." The full press release is below.

Spun Ice Cream to Open Early 2015 in East Austin

Local Sisters Offer Craft Ice Cream Experience with Liquid Nitrogen

AUSTIN - Nov. 19, 2014 - Set to open in early 2015 at 1912 East 7^th Street, Spun will bring a unique ice cream experience to Austinites, with each scoop of fresh ice cream scratch-made to order through the magic of liquid nitrogen.

At negative 321°F (that's more than five times colder than Barton Springs), liquid nitrogen is the key to Spun's superior ice creams. Customers will have the opportunity to watch fresh, base ingredients - including organic cream and locally sourced milk from small Texas dairies - transform from bottle to scoop in under a minute. Faster than traditional freezing techniques, "spinning" ice cream with liquid nitrogen produces smaller ice crystals and thus an intense purity of flavor and the creamiest, smoothest frozen treats science has to offer.

A craft ice cream experience from top to bottom, Spun will also offer house-made original toppings, such as Texas pecan brittle, old-fashioned pie crumble, candied citrus confetti, and chile piquin popcorn. The flavor and toppings menus, which will include vegan and gluten-free options, will shift seasonally and include carefully curated offerings from nearby farms, artisans and an on-site herb garden.

The beauty of using liquid nitrogen is that the science goes into the process of making the ice cream and not into the ingredients. Because every order is made instantly, the integrity of each ingredient can be maintained without the use of preservatives, emulsifiers or stabilizers.

The brains and bellies behind the concept are born-and-bred Austin sisters Christina and Ashley Cheng. The pair grew up with entrepreneur parents and spent much of childhood playing in their kitchen together concocting edible creations and treats for themselves.  Christina went on to earn a Patisserie and Baking Certificate from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, along with a decade of experience in some of Austin's award-winning restaurants and bakeries.

Ashley has several decades of experience eating and talking about food.

"We grew up playing with our food a lot," said pastry chef and Spun co-founder Christina Cheng, "The liquid nitrogen makes Spun's ice cream experience really visually entertaining and a bit whimsical, but we're also all about cultivating fun for your taste-buds."

For updates and additional details, follow Spun's progress online on Facebook and Twitter.

Web: www.facebook.com/spunicecream, www.twitter.com/spunicecream.