Why Taiwan Boasts the World’s First Michelin-Starred Ice Cream Parlor

The Taichung-based ice cream parlor Minimal has elevated ice cream and other frozen desserts to a fine dining experience, becoming the first establishment worldwide to be awarded a Michelin star for such creations.

BY JOWEN LEE, COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE

Tucked away in a quiet alleyway in Taichung behind an unassuming façade, you could easily walk past Minimal without noticing it. But doing so would mean missing out on a unique fine dining experience – a seven-course set menu featuring a variety of frosty creations, all for just over US$30 (NT$600).

Ice at Varying Temperatures Delivers Top, Middle, and Base Notes

What awaits guests here is not the typical appetizer-entrée-dessert progression. Instead, it’s an innovative temperature-driven journey, where ice and ice cream dishes are served from a blazing 180°C to a chilling minus 196°C, creating a sauna-like experience for the tastebuds unlike any traditional meal.

One course includes a semi-liquid dessert of pipa (枇杷, Chinese pear, also known as loquat) and pear, served just above freezing temperature, while another features granita topped with frozen balls made from the juice of three different types of melon. Guests will discover that ice can take on dramatically different textures and flavors based on its temperature. The molecular structure of the ice changes, and so does the mouthfeel.

This is part of Chef Arvin Wan’s ambition – to make ice cream more than just a supporting player in the main dish’s game. When most people eat ice cream, they choose it for the flavor. But Wan wants his guests to experience the element of ice itself on a much deeper level.

Driven by a desire to unlock the potential of an otherwise simple dessert, it’s safe to say he succeeded with his mission. After earning a Bib Gourmand rating in 2023, Minimal broke new ground by becoming the world’s first Michelin-starred ice cream parlor in 2024.

Minimal became the world’s first Michelin-starred ice cream parlor in 2024 after its first earned a Bib Gourmand rating in 2023.

Wan, a native of Taichung, has loved ice cream since childhood. Raised by a single mother, he attended the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism after graduating from Taichung Senior Agricultural Vocational High School. He began his career in restaurants, working grueling hours. When his mother passed away from cancer, it profoundly changed his outlook on life. Wan realized he wasn’t willing to sacrifice family time for a career that demanded such long hours, so he left the restaurant world to work at an ice cream shop instead, alleviating the pressures of a full-service kitchen.

At the ice cream shop, Wan noticed that crafting most frozen desserts meant following strict standard operating procedures, leaving little room for creativity or personal touch; this felt like a missed opportunity. Then, his close friend and university classmate, Lin Yi-hua, approached him with the idea of channeling their skills and career values into a collaborative endeavor. Together, they opened a restaurant called Sur in Taichung, where Wan was responsible for curating the frozen desserts menu.

Yet, Wan’s dream of opening his own ice cream shop only grew stronger. Lin, seeing the clarity of Wan’s vision, supported his decision to shift focus toward the soon-to-be Minimal, even becoming one of its shareholders.

The two shared a deep bond, having both lost their mothers at a young age. Their friendship began during their student days through a shared interest in video games, and they later traveled abroad together in search of ingredients as chefs. In 2021, their restaurant Sur earned a Michelin star, and Lin continued to innovate in food presentation.

Lin also noticed that ice cream was often marketed for its wide variety of flavors but rarely for depth of flavor. As plated desserts became more popular in Taiwan, Lin thought Minimal could explore using temperature as the theme of its set menu to stand out in a growing market.

For his part, Wan began designing ice cream dishes served at different temperatures, many inspired by his childhood memories. One course, a wild ginger lily and sake ice served at minus 40°C and aerated into a lollipop shape, is his take on the classic Taiwanese “banana ice” popsicle from the 1950s.

Chef Arvin Wan’s ambition is to transform ice cream from a supporting role to the main character.

Though banana ice does not contain real bananas, it is artificially flavored with banana oil. In a flash of inspiration, Wan realized that the aroma of sake bore a resemblance to banana oil, and further research revealed their chemical similarities. He then created sake-based ice to give customers a nostalgic yet refined experience.

Wan’s constant innovation in form and concept caught the attention of the Michelin inspectors. On the Michelin Guide website, they note that Minimal “continues to evolve, refining their techniques and concepts to a new level of maturity and delicacy, fully deserving of a Michelin star.”

Minimal’s achievement has ignited discussions within the culinary world about the applications of ice cream as a Michelin-worthy offering. “This will have a global impact, not just in Taiwan,” observes Lee Yu, founder of NINAO Gelato in Tainan. Lee predicts that Minimal’s Michelin success could inspire other ice cream parlors worldwide to follow suit.

While Minimal’s set menu offers customers a profound experience of textures and flavors, it also limits the number of guests the parlor can serve due to the time and effort required for each course. Despite widespread acclaim for Minimal’s trajectory, Wan admits that since its opening in 2021, the business has yet to turn a profit. The tasting menu simply cannot compete with the revenue potential of traditional takeout ice cream shops, which thrive on higher customer turnover and simpler operations.

Winning a Michelin star is just one step along the way. To ensure the momentum of his dream remains strong, Wan is working to find the sweet spot between his ideals and a sustainable business reality.

This article first appeared in CommonWealth Magazine in September 2024. It has been reprinted, with editing and updating, with permission from the publisher.