A new Toronto ice cream shop is all the rage these days, thanks to its one-of-a-kind spins on Asian flavours.
We’re well and truly in the depths of ice cream season here in Toronto, and, lucky for those of us who can’t go more than 48 hours without a frosty treat (guilty!), there’s no shortage of new places and products you can try.
While not the newest of the bunch, having launched the business back in 2024, Misfit Ice Cream is certainly a contender for belle-of-the-ball status on the ice cream scene this summer, garnering throngs of devoted new fans after opening a pop-up location just off Queen Street W. last month.
The story of Misfit Ice Cream actually begins well before the summer of 2024, though.
If you ask co-founder Miguel Widjaja, the dream began to take shape in his childhood, when, as the story goes, his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and, when Widjaja responded “an ice cream man,” his father simply responded, “try again.”
“Years later, though, the joke is on him, because Miguel is now on a mission to become the ice cream man and make the best ice cream he possibly can,” co-founder and Widjaja’s partner, Rachel Cheng, said.
After years of ice cream dreaming, the ball started rolling when Cheng gave Widjaja an ice cream maker for Christmas in 2023. From there, they said Widjaja “quickly spiralled” into an obsession with creating the perfect pint.
“Freezers filled up with test batches, pints were shared with friends, and word of mouth eventually spread to the point that we decided to try and make Miguel’s childhood dream a reality,” they said.
In their first year, they sold pints through an online order form, running around the GTA to make deliveries, and, at the end of the first summer, they settled in at a production kitchen in Mississauga.
This summer, which they decided to use to “prove that they had something special,” they started with a bang, taking over a month-long lease at Stackt Market through the Stacktx Grant Program in May.
“Being at Stackt in May really kickstarted our summer and gave us a glimpse into what it would be like to have our own store,” Cheng and Widjaja explained.
From there, they took over their new digs at 10 Stephanie St., a true ice cream shop location where they’re serving up scoops of their truly unique ice cream until the end of the summer, which Cheng and Widjaja said has been smooth sailing so far.
“The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, and we hope we can continue to bring a little moment of joy into people’s days through our ice cream,” they said.
Why has Misfit proven such a smash hit so far this summer? It likely has something to do with their unbelievably creamy French-style custard ice cream and their diverse selection of internationally-inspired flavours, many of which, like Mango Sticky Rice and Kung Fu Panda (black sesame and ginger), take a decidedly Asian bent.
They also occasionally serve up seasonal scoops, like the Rachel Picked a lot of Strawberries Ontario raspberry sorbet, as well as other rotating flavours like Saturday Morning Cartoons, which is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal milk flavour, or High Tea Hooligan, a blueberry Earl Grey tea.
“Our philosophy at Misfit is, ‘It feels good to fit in, but better to not,'” Cheng and Widjaja explain. “We want that to shine through our ice cream both quality-wise and flavour-wise.”
They also embody the motto by making sure that, at any given time, they offer flavours that appeal to folks with different dietary restrictions, making sure that, even if dairy is a no-go, you’re still guaranteed a tasty treat.
“We try to always keep at least three vegan and non-dairy options on the board, with one being something that’s not just an ordinary sorbet,” Widjaja and Cheng said.
“A fan-favourite creation (and a proud moment for us) was cracking our mango sticky rice cream recipe, which is still creamy and rich like our French custard-based ice creams. We know dietary restrictions are becoming more common, and want to continue innovating to make our ice cream accessible to everyone.”
Once the summer is up, Misfit will be returning to its roots of selling pints online and popping up at various events in the city (“wherever they’ll have us,” Cheng and Widjaja say), but the dream of a full-time brick-and-mortar is very much in the cards.
“We’re hopeful that this summer continues to see our business grow and stand as a point of proof that our ice cream has a place in the city,” Cheng and Widjaja said. “If all goes well, we’ll look into finding the right space for a brick-and-mortar for next summer.”
Until then, you’ve got until an unspecified “end of the summer” date to pick up a scoop (or several) from Misfit for yourself, and you may just find yourself with a new go-to spot.
Misfit Ice Cream is located at 10 Stephanie St.
