BURLINGAME — Buena’s Organic Soft Serve, a new soft serve ice cream shop on Burlingame Avenue, opened its doors quietly just under two weeks ago.
But the opening hasn’t stayed quiet — despite the fact that the shop is so new, it’s signage isn’t up yet.
Behind the budding brand is Buyantod Rinchin, who’s also the owner of downtown Burlingame’s La Vie Nail Bar. Rinchin, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mongolia as a teen, says she’s long loved soft-serve ice cream, but since she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about two years ago, has struggled to find low-sugar soft-serve options.
Seeing the lack, she decided to create her own. “I love cooking, and I’m in love with food and dessert,” she says. “I’m not so much in love with ice cream options in the U.S.”
At her shop, the soft-serve flavors on offer go well beyond the standard “vanilla or chocolate.” Alongside Ghirardelli chocolate and vanilla, she’s serving up black sesame, matcha, dragon fruit, passionfruit and strawberry soft serve. Rinchin is still ironing out the precise recipes during the soft opening, but generally, the sugar content is a quarter to half of what one might find at competitor dessert shops, she says. The dessert shop also serve up “croffles,” or waffles made from croissant dough.
She’s hoping her shop becomes Burlingame’s late-night dessert destination, and eventually, the brand becomes “the next Salt & Straw.”
Details: Open 9 a.m.-midnight daily at 1215 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame.