British Columbia·Our Vancouver

Friends turn into sweet business partners

Mister is the brainchild of long-time friends Michael Lai and Tommy Choi and is also the latest frozen treat addition to the city's thriving dessert culture.

Liquid nitrogen used to create unique frozen desserts

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

8 years ago
Duration 5:05
Michael Lai of Mister Artisan Ice Cream describes his passion for frozen treats

One of the biggest trends in frozen dessert is liquid nitrogen ice cream and Mister Artisan Ice Cream in Yaletown is one of the latest places to go big with the blast of science as they hand-make each bowl. 

Mister is owned by university pals turned business partners Tommy Choi and Michael Lai. Their research included long trips around the world sampling every kind of frozen treat they could find. But it was the misty science of liquid nitrogen blending with the creme and flavours that really captured their attention.

"A lot of famous chefs make special dishes with liquid nitrogen."

The shop uses milk and cream from Meadow Fresh Dairy in Port Coquitlam and ingredients to create their flavours ranging from avocado to Earl Grey to double Oreo.

"We always want to share something that we like. And we want to make the ice cream similar to the original dessert. Our crème brûlée is a real crème brûlée in an ice cream form."

Watching your ice cream being made is part of the lure of this type of dessert. The process creates quite a lot of "mist", which is where the store name comes from.

Watch Michael Lai make ice cream with Gloria Macarenko of Our Vancouver