It looks like the intersection of Turk and Taylor has even more to look forward to than new burgers and bars. Erin Lang, founder of the popular Garden Creamery ice cream truck, confirms that she's signed a lease at 101 Taylor St., and plans to open an ice cream shop in the space. In addition to upcoming neighbors Big and Loco'l, the creamery will join a spate of new eateries on their way to the neighborhood, including Black Cat and Causwells' burger joint.
101 Taylor St. (Photo: Google Maps)
Lang started Garden Creamery in 2010, selling exotic varieties of creamy vegan sorbet to Bay Areas shops. Not long after, the entrepreneur later decided to take her crowd-pleasing product straight to consumers via a "bare-bones trailer." After a year of success on the local food truck circuit, Lang launched a crowdfunding campaign to generate more than $35,000 for the business; with the extra funds, she added frozen dairy treats to the menu and upgraded to a truck that could produce goodies on the road, including ice cream sandwiches and her signature frozen mousse popsicles. (Here's Garden Creamery's current menu.)
Photo: Garden Creamery/Facebook
As renovations on the Tenderloin brick-and-mortar have yet to begin, Lang wouldn't say much about her plans for the forthcoming creamery. She did explain, however, that she was eager to set up shop in either the Tenderloin or Mid-Market, and plans to bring the surrounding community into the fold. "We're trying to make it a place that can be part of the neighborhood," she said.
Erin Lang. (Photo: Garden Creamery/Facebook)
While it's hard to imagine 101 Taylor as a destination for sprinkle-dipped popsicles, the location is actually a food-service veteran. From the 1940s to the 1970s, it was the home of Gene Compton's Cafeteria, a neighborhood diner known for serving tasty fare at affordable prices. More importantly, Compton's is famous for being the backdrop of the nation's first riot in response to police discrimination of gay and transgender people.
Photo: Unknown
Lang promises to share more details about the location's next act in a few months. In the meantime, you can keep tabs on her ice cream truck's whereabouts on Garden Creamery's website.
