Angelaydet RochaThe Stockton Record
Stockton native Dawson Phan was just 21 years old when he opened Dream Ice Cream Parlor in his hometown.
Three years after graduating from Cesar Chavez High School in 2013, Phan was set to bring something different to Stockton and "fill a void in the city" as an owner, creator, and ice cream maker.
"Growing up here, being born and raised, we were just always stuck with the same old, just Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone, no one was thinking outside the box and bringing creative desserts over here," Phan, now 29, told The Stockton Record. "You'd always have to go to the Bay Area or Sacramento to see something cool and different."
At the end of October 2016, he opened his ice cream shop at 5052 West Lane H. The business is less than two miles away from his former high school, where he would tell his friends about his dream of one day opening an ice cream shop.
His grand opening came just a few months later in January 2017.
"The first day we opened, it was super busy, the first year, it was just super crazy. But everyone just loved it," Phan said. "The feedback was just really good, and it just never made me give up. I always just wanted to make sure, our customers got what they wanted and they got their fix and we've been kept going ever since."
And Stocktonians are big fans of Dream Ice Cream Parlor's unique menu.
The people have spoken
Dream Ice Cream Parlor was recently voted by Stockton Record readers as the best ice cream in Stockton.
The Stockton Record identified 11 ice cream shops in the city, each with its unique menu and flavors. The poll opened on July 19 and it closed on Aug. 2.
A total of 71.7% of the more than 2,000 Stockton Record readers who voted in the poll, selected Dream Ice Cream Parlor as their favorite. Milk & Dream came in second with 6.4% of the vote and Tocumbo Paleteria Y Neveria finished third with 6.3% of the vote.
Stockton ice cream shop treats: 'Made With Love'
Two years after the opening of Dream Ice Cream Parlor, Stockton native Jackie Pham joined the team.
Pham, a Bear Creek High School alumna, is not only Dream Ice Cream's co-owner, but also does the events, catering, and social media and is the recipe developer of their limited ice cream flavors.
Pham, 32, owns Dream's sister business, Milk & Dream located at Weberstown Mall. She is also an esthetician and owns Dreamlux Esthetics in Stockton.
"Milk & Dream is kind of my ice cream baby, how Dream is (Phan's) ice cream baby," Pham said. "It's a different name and a different concept."
Milk & Dream offers a menu with Dream-Lati's, Boba drinks, and coffee. Aside from the menu and locations, the logos are also unique to each. Dream Ice Cream Parlor is represented by a panda and Milk & Dream's logo is a bear.
Dream Ice Cream Parlor also serves as the "factory" where their products are made. The couple described homemade ice cream as "small batch ice cream, hand-crafted factory."
What sets their business apart from other ice cream shops in Stockton is the ice cream flavors, and that everything is made in-house, the couple said.
"We use high-premium dairy to make our ice cream," Phan said.
Unlike other ice cream shops that use roughly 12% milk fat, Dream Ice Cream uses a higher percentage of milk fat, which makes the product creamy and smooth.
When asked what three words they would use to describe Dream Ice Cream Parlor to someone who has never been to the shop before Pham said "made with love."
Dream Ice Cream Parlor marks 7 years in business
In January, Dream Ice Cream Parlor celebrated seven years of business.
"Honestly, I feel it's just yesterday we opened," Phan said. "I can't believe that many years passed by. It's pretty unbelievable."
"As the years go by and Dream continues to grow or we add more things, it's pretty unreal when we walk in here. Even on a weekday, there's a line out the door and we're like, isn't it just Tuesday?" Pham said. "It's just crazy that people really love the ice cream. It feels good because we make it from scratch, with our hands and our time. That's the most rewarding thing about it."
During COVID-19 the couple didn't slow down. From a renovation in the summer of 2020 to delivering pints of ice cream directly to their customer's doorsteps.
"We just want them to know that we appreciate them so much for sticking it out with us, even through COVID," Pham said. "They can always count on us for their ice cream fix and their dessert fix."
"We'll never stop putting out quality, high-quality products," Phan added.
Dream Ice Cream Parlor Menu: Boba to bubble tea, donuts and more
DREAM stands for "Desserts rules everything around me," Phan said.
His original plan was to only offer donuts, ice cream, and puffles. However, he decided to "do a little bit of everything," instead.
"The recipe for the puffle is a secret recipe made by Dawson, tested in his mom's kitchen," Pham said.
"It's all from scratch," Phan added.
Dream offers more than 25 permanent ice cream flavors, not including limited flavors.
The couple said their most unique ice cream flavors are banana rocky road and Thai tea. The most popular are cookies and Dream, taro, and horchata flavors, Pham said.
Their menu prices range from around $4 to $11.50, Pham said.
Their next goal at Dream is to replicate their top ice cream flavors into "non-dairy vegan" options for everyone to try, they said.
Dream Ice Cream Parlor is open seven days a week, but later in the day.
The couple also offers ice cream and boba catering services for private events.
"Whether you're happy or sad or mad, and you're coming here, you're always going to leave with a smile after some ice cream," Phan said.
Dream Ice Cream Parlor
- Location:Dream Ice Cream Parlor, 5052 West Lane H, in Stockton
- Hours:3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday
- Information:dreamicecreamparlor.com
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached atarocha@recordnet.comor on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record athttps://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.