Naman Shrestha
Cynthia Wong and her husband, John David Harmon, took the stage in the second episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 16 as they presented their artisan ice cream company — Life Raft Treats. Catering to ice cream lovers, the brand provides ice cream treats in shapes and forms of different things, including other food items. With her artistic approach and undying love for treats, the owner seemed to have cemented her position in the market of ice cream through the company, which has made waves since its inception.
Life Raft Treats: Who Are They And What Do They Do?
With a diverse baking experience under her belt, Cynthia Wong takes great pride in introducing Life Raft Treats to the world. However, before she became a six-time James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, she was just another girl with dreams of leaving a mark in the food insutry. Coming from a humble and diverse cultural background, she was born in Charleston but grew up in Alabama and Nashville. It was back in the early 1990s when she entered the baking industry by working as a baker at Reed Heron’s Restaurant Lulu in San Francisco. Excited to learn more and become more efficient in the field, she earned the Grande Diplôme de la Cuisine Française from École Lenôtre in Plaisir, France.
By 2002, she also earned a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish Languages and English Literature from the University of South Alabama. Having gained enough knowledge, Cynthia landed a job at Cakes & Ale in Decatur, Georgia, as a sous chef and pastry chef in 2008. After a three-year stint there, she joined other talented chefs at Empire State South, where she was employed as Executive Pastry Chef for about a year or so. After taking a break from working for a few years, she joined the team at Rhubarb in Asheville, North Carolina, as the Executive Pastry Chef. In April 2016, she switched to Butcher & Bee and The Daily, where she served as the Executive Pastry Chef. Throughout all these years, she had been dreaming of opening up a shop of her own.
When she visited an ice cream shop on Île de Ré named La Martinière, she was inspired by the unique details and combinations of the ice creams she saw and ate there. With the desire to spend more time with her family and still stay in touch with her creative side, she believed that an ice cream business might be the answer. So, fast forward to May 2018, Cynthia made her dream come true as she founded Life Raft Treats in Charleston, South Carolina. During a conversation with Resy, she said, “I thought, ‘Work can’t be my entire life.’ And I’d always loved working with ice cream. It makes everyone happy, it makes me happy. And I realized I could make ice cream ahead, freeze it, so my time could be more flexible.”
Life Raft Treats is an ice cream company that spreads not only joy but also surprise through uniquely and passionately crafted ice creams in different shapes and sizes. With the support of her longtime husband, John David Harmon, she continues leaving a positive mark on the ice cream industry by creating different-shaped ice creams. One of the best-selling items of Life Raft Treats is arguably the Not Fried Chicken Ice Cream, which is made of waffle ice cream, white chocolate, cookie bone, and cornflakes.
Life Raft Treats: Where Are They Now?
Life Raft Treats appears to be a self-funded company, as it seemingly didn’t raise any funds for its establishment or other operations. Apart from selling ice creams to people across the States with prices ranging from $36 to $150 through Goldbelly, the artisan ice cream truck can also be booked for private events, such as business events and weddings. The pricing for such events starts at $5,000, while pricing for custom ice cream projects starts at $7,000. However, Life Raft Treats are reportedly fully booked until mid-2025.
Besides serving through their official online website, Life Raft Treats are also available to buy through Gourmet Foods International, P10 Foods in the Southeast, and Wholly Cow in South Carolina. You can also purchase these unique ice creams from DoorDash, Fresh Direct, and Central Market. In the first year of Life Raft Treats, while Cynthia Wong was working out of the ice cream truck, she earned the 2018 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef because of her unique ice cream ideas. In December 2023, Cynthia held a pop-up at the Old Village Holiday Market, where many ice cream lovers feasted on Life Raft Treats.
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