Meet Cindy Chung | Pure Milk & Honey (Soft Serve Ice cream), Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Chung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Ever since I was a child, I loved desserts. When I was tall enough to reach the oven, I started baking cookies and cakes. It was always my dream to pursue a career with sweets. However, as I was born and raised in an Asian family, that dream was considered nothing more than a ‘dream’. It was not something acceptable to pursue. A proper career was one that followed, at minimum, a four year undergraduate degree in a mainstream field that would pay a certain income per year. Hence, I did exactly that and had a career in the Oil and Gas industry. Although my career was quickly advancing, it only provided a sense of financial security. I did not feel passion the for it. To imagine working until retirement brought a sense of dread. A few years ago, I left the oil and gas industry and ventured to test some food related business concepts. Pure Milk & Honey is the only one that came into fruition. The work days and hours may be long and run into each other but the joy of creating delicious sweets and seeing the delight on the faces of those who taste them is completely worth it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Pure Milk & Honey is a soft serve ice cream shop located at Mockingbird Station. Here at Pure Milk & Honey, we are passionate about supporting local and using natural, tasty, and wholesome ingredients. Our soft serve ice cream is creamy and sweetened local honey from Bonton Farms. The concept is no refined sugar.

We have both dairy and non dairy ice cream options. Our fresh and local Texas milk is from a certified organic dairy farm while our non dairy ice cream is made with coconut cream. . To abide with our dedication to quality and natural ingredients, we do not add any artificial colors or flavors to our ice cream, thus preserving the milk and coconut milk in its purest form.

We also make all of our baked goods, cones, confections, and sauces in house. No preservatives. Our goal is to make every item with minimal ingredients to keep them as natural as possible without compromising taste. We want the world to know that healthy eating and taste are possible and compliment each other.

Pure Milk & Honey opened its first store on Memorial Day long weekend in 2019. It was defiantly not an easy journey as we projected great sales and revenue for the following year. 2020 practically shut us down with COVID-19 while the financial obligations continued. However, we have been very fortunate to secure some government funding. We are also grateful for the loyal customers and employees who have endured and supported us during this time of uncertainty. As 2021 is nearing an end, we are looking forward to advancing our brand in the new year and possibly to new locations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite places to eat are Maht Gaek (Korean), Arif Cafe (Ethiopian), and Cafe Madrid (tapas). Aside from eating, I love spending time in the sun and outdoors. The pool would be my first choice for hanging out. Other than that, I would go to White Rock Lake or some parks up north.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As mentioned before, owning an ice cream shop is not an acceptable career as an Asian. Of my parents, my mom was the first to start the support. My dad has recently come around after realizing my career change would not “go away”. During the entire process, I am thankful for the few close friends who provided advice and encouragement. It would not have been possible without them.

Website: https://www.puremilkandhoney.com

Instagram: @puremilkhoney

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puremilkandhoney/

Image Credits
The head shot, chocolate explosion, strawberry shake and store were taken by Kali Hirst Photography. The rest of the photos were taken by me.