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Rebecca Smith has always been drawn to sweet things.
As a kid growing up in an underdeveloped community in Richmond, Calif., her fondest memories were of sitting in front of Baskin-Robbins, “sharing smiles with my entire family, stepping out of the chaos of life.”
When she moved to Portland in 2010, Smith, who is Latinx-Native American, noted a lack of vegan ice cream options that weren’t totally boring. After taking some business courses at Mercy Corps and gaining experience working in a couple of kitchens around town, Smith put her self-described “eye for cuteness” to use making playful, glitter-adorned concoctions under the name Ice Queen.
She now pops up at events across Portland, serving shimmering creamsicle bars and vanilla cones dusted with vegan Cheeto dust. Last summer, during a concert by rapper Princess Nokia in the parking lot of the Doc Martens store downtown, she made floats out of La Croix and Jarritos soda.
Related: Check out Photos from MusicfestNW and Dr. Martens’ in the Lot Mini-Festival.
But for Smith, Ice Queen isn’t just about making photogenic treats.
“I felt like I could really offer something beyond ice cream,” she says, “touching on memories and experience.”
