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Emma and Omar Ansari, owners of Good Vices
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Blue raspberry and lemon water ice
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The Good Vices truck is frequently parked in Rocketts Landing at 3115 Wharf St.
With origins in Italy and strong roots in Philadelphia (pronounced there as “wooder” ice), water ice is a lesser-known indulgence in the commonwealth. The frozen concoction is considered the smooth cousin of shaved ice and a dairy-free alternative to ice cream.
This month, spouses Emma and Omar Ansari introduced Good Vices, a brightly colored, nostalgia-inspired food truck serving handmade small-batch water ice. The traveling concept celebrated its official grand opening July 6, holding a semiregular residency at Rocketts Landing (3115 Wharf St.) along the James and making appearances around the region.
So, how did two South Carolina transplants end up starting a business dedicated to the iconic, decidedly Northern summer treat? A little bit of science, a lot of innovation and a love for icy delights.
After losing her computer science job in March, Emma casually began tossing around potential business ideas with Omar, who, she notes, has a natural entrepreneurial spirit, about ditching the corporate grind and trading burnout for something more fun. Enter: icy desserts.
“There’s a place in South Carolina called Pelican’s SnoBalls, basically like shaved ice, and I told him, ‘I really love Pelican’s, maybe we should [franchise] one,’ and then Omar came to me with a wonderful idea and said, ‘What about water ice?’”
The duo ended up diving down a research rabbit hole and taught themselves how to craft water ice after studying the YouTube channel of one of the biggest water ice machine manufacturers in the country.
“I watched very single video and became convinced this was our option,” Omar says. “We wanted to create a product that was actually good and not pre-prepared or made from weird chemicals, so that was a priority for us. All of our ingredients are clean, and we use fresh fruit.”
Beyond the many helpful how-to videos, another key to their forward momentum was Emma’s knack for chemistry.
"My background is formulation chemistry, so at the end of the day, [water ice] is just a formulation that you can tweak to your desired needs,” Emma says, noting that she’s also well versed in the chemistry of home baking. “I do think that having the chemistry background has been unique in how we develop the textures and the materials we use.
“I think one of the things I was particularly passionate about once we started getting into it, learning about it, was that we maintained an allergen-free, totally vegan product,” she adds. “We don’t identify as vegetarian or vegan, but I think that it’s important that a lot of people are able to have a frozen treat that’s not ice cream but has the same texture.”
University of South Carolina grads, the Ansaris have known each other since fifth grade. While they originally moved to Richmond in 2016, their jobs led them out of state for a time in 2021 before they returned to the River City two years ago. Now working from a commissary kitchen to prepare Good Vices’ creations, the pair also offer catering for weddings and corporate events.
Good Vices currently serves five flavors: mango, blue raspberry, cherry, lemon and watermelon, any of which can be swirled together to create hybrid flavors. Mango is made from Alfonso mango pulp, while blue raspberry was inspired by one of Emma’s favorite sodas.
“We want you to feel like you’re eating a fresh frozen mango,” she says, “and blue raspberry is also one of my favorites. The World of Coca-Cola [museum in Atlanta] has blue raspberry Fanta, but they don’t sell it commercially; that’s all I want and want it to taste like. I wanted to do something different from the synthetic blue raspberry taste or people that dye it blue.”
The Rainbow Rockett combines all the flavors for a taste-the-rainbow sampler, while Bomb Pop features blue raspberry, cherry and lemon, and Chango Merry is a mashup of cherry and mango. After turning to Reddit for requests, the Ansaris say coconut, lime and lavender flavors are on the water ice wish list, and Emma envisions other floral and herbal additions in the future.
“I think it’s limitless with what you can do with water ice, because everyone loves a sweet treat, and because there’s no dairy, you’re not limited to what may or may not pair well with dairy. I’m approaching it as anything that might be good in a beverage could absolutely pass for water ice,” Emma says. “Our whole philosophy is investing in quality of ingredients. We want to have the best product possible.”
For the Good Vices schedule, visit goodvicesices.com.
