Some people baked bread during the pandemic to pass time and treat their families. Camille Haynes started making ice cream.

While few people probably opened bakeries based on their bread alone, family and friends loved Camille’s ice cream so much that the dietitian — yes, that’s right, it’s a dietitian-made ice cream — and her husband, who formerly worked in oil and gas, decided to write up a business plan for a new ice cream shop during the height of COVID-19 infections in 2020.

On Valentine’s Day 2021, Camille and Julian Haynes opened Cosmic Ice Cream Co. in Webster, Texas. Just about two years later on Feb. 8, 2023, the Hayneses opened their second location at 8207A Long Point Rd. in the Spring Branch Management District.

A friend suggested they open in Spring Branch, Julian Haynes said.

“We had been looking for a second location for about five to six months at that point, and never considered Spring Branch because we weren’t very familiar with the area,” Haynes said. “Once we came to check out the space and learned more about Spring Branch, we felt that the neighborhood was a great fit.  Our Spring Branch customers have welcomed us with open arms and have made us feel at home.”

Walking in to Cosmic Ice Cream, located in the Spring Branch Village shopping center, you immediately smell the aroma of, as a friend put it, “yummy goodness.” The shop is clean and bright, with ample seating and lots of windows.

Samples are free, of course, and allow customers to try unique flavors like Blueberry Cake Donut and Lemon Poppyseed Muffin. The best seller is Chocolate Milk & Cookies. Don’t pass up tasting Toasted Coconut, which is one of several vegan and dairy-free flavors. Campfire S’mores includes bits of toasted marshmallow.

Can’t decide? In addition to single and double scoops and pints, Cosmic Ice Cream serves up flights featuring your choice of four mini scoops of ice cream. Julian Haynes said the flights were inspired by what local craft breweries offer to show off their products.

Camille’s aunt inspired another “out of this world” treat — the Cosmic Bar. It’s Lemon Poppyseed Muffin ice cream sandwiched between Fruity Pebbles marshmallow treats, something auntie used to make for the kids when Camille was young.

Love having a bite of cone with every bite of ice cream? Check out the Ice Cream Nachos — two scoops of ice cream on a bed of homemade waffle cone chips plus three toppings of choice.

The Hayneses take pride in being a locally owned and operated business.

“We love this city and its diversity, and we’re excited that we can be a part of the local small business scene,” Julian Haynes said.

Camille was born and raised in Houston and Julian, as they say, got here as fast as he could — nine years ago— with a master’s degree in business administration from Howard University. While you will likely find one of them at the shop, Julian said they love hiring local youth to work the ice cream counter.

“Our staff of high school and college students have put in many hours of work to help make us the company we are today, and we feel grateful that we’re a part of their journey into adulthood and hope that we can give them tangible skills to take into higher education or the workforce,” he said.

Cosmic Ice Cream
8207A Long Point Road
Sun-Thu:  12-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday:  12-11 p.m.
https://cosmichtx.com/

— by Dorothy Puch Lillig