ian carandang

I was instantly blown away when I met Ian Carandang --- he is the creative mind behind the mouthwatering & unique flavors of Sebastian's Ice Cream! An afternoon with him is total ice cream overload from flavors like vodka, beer, coconut, and blue cheese with nuts & honey. 

A love for ice cream, a Ben & Jerry's book, an old-fashioned churner from his aunt, and his desire to create new flavors were the ingredients that motivated Ian to be Ice Cream Artisan. 

Check out what inspires innovative Ian. :)

 Ian Carandang
(San Juan, Philippines)

Occupation: Head Sorbetero for Sebastian's Ice Cream

Website: http://www.facebook.com/Sebastians.Ice.Cream

Favorite toy as a child: Nintendo Famicom (too many games to remember)

Favorite toy now: Super Street Fighter 4 for the PS3

Turn-ons: Being comfortable in one's own skin. A stocky, chunky guy with a good nature. A nice double chin.

Turn-offs: Being unkind.

What are the 5 things that inspire you right now?
1. OPM singers Ebe Dancel from Sugarfree and Aia de Leon of Imago - to be a musician playing original music in the Philippines is to constantly fight an uphill battle.
2. The French Laundry's Thomas Keller - quest for perfection
3. Mario Batali - his playful, indulgent outlook on food mostly closely matches mine
4. GamerBee - Taiwanese SSF4 player who uses Adon, a low-tiered character and recently won a tournament in the US where he beat the best players from the US and Japan
5. Eric Stonestreet - kept plugging away in Hollywood doing work and never losing hope, finally becoming a star as Cameron on Modern Family with huge ratings and winning an Emmy the first time he was nominated

Top 5 movies:
1. Ratatouille
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1
3. Unbreakable
4. The Incredibles
5. Spaceballs

Top 3 books:
1. Blade of the Immortal manga series by Hiroaki Samura
2. Sandman: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman
3. Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross

Music you listen to: A mixture of OPM, country, folk, pop, rock, and hip-hop: Indigo girls, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Sugarfree, Imago, Cynthia Alexander, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne. I also listen to stand-up comedy albums like Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, and Patton Oswalt.

5 Favorite websites:
1. Televisionwithoutpity.com
2. Shoryuken.com
3. Seriouseats.com
4. Ew.com
5. Eventhubs.com

When  you're not busy with work, what do you do in your free time? Go online. I can watch TV shows that otherwise wouldn't be available locally, read up on any of my interests, check the news, keep up on food trends and ideas. It's an infinite source of information, entertainment, and porn. And it's pretty much free. What could be better?

If you were to choose a different job, what would it be? Cartoon voice actor. I could have the thrill of acting without having to diet.

If you can have any super power, what would it be? Green Lantern's power ring. Versatile power set and open to the imagination of the user.

What is the biggest problem of the world right now? Poverty. Pretty much every problem in the world can be traced back to people not being able to think about anything else since they're too busy worrying about having roof over their heads and getting something to eat.

What do you think is the solution? Education. Quality, non-sectarian Education to the world's children to be precise. It gives us higher standards in choosing our leaders, where we will no longer settle for the same old politicians but want for true, visionary leadership. It teaches us that taking care of the environment is not an optional scenario. It teaches us that using books written 2,000 years ago to justify bigotry, intolerance and a distrust of science is ridiculous; that we have more that unites us than separates us. Education gives people the tools and the confidence to rise up and attain their full potential. A good education is everything to a young mind, no matter what country or situation you are in.

What's the most important life lesson you've learned so far? Take nothing for granted. Nothing is so powerful or unshakable that it can't be taken away from you in an instant.

Most inspiring statement/moment (heard/said/read): 
The movie Ratatouille, in the pivotal scene when Anton Ego writes his review of Remy's food. It had tears in my eyes when he was done:
"The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its make have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realized, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."