Sam Mason

Sam is one of the most amazing chefs & we share so many amazing memories of cooking for people and with people. I am honored to call him a friend and someone who has inspired me as a chef for so many years. Sam has so much to offer our industry. Please enjoy this interview with him and his son that we did in Portland at Jackrabbit in the fall.

Sam Mason, Chef and Co-owner of OddFellows Ice Cream Co. 

Chef Sam Mason is the ice cream chef and mastermind behind the authentic, quirky ice cream creations at New York City's beloved scoop shop, OddFellows Ice Cream Co. A James Beard Award nominee, Mason trained at Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI before completing a stage at Ladurée in Paris. He then moved to New York City to work alongside famed chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Paul Leibrandt, and Wylie Dufresne, with whom he held the position of pastry chef at Dufresne’s acclaimed wd-50.

In June 2013, Mason partnered with husband and wife team Mohan and Holiday Kumar, who shared the same passion for quality scoops, to open the flagship location of OddFellows Ice Cream Co. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With the mission of concocting the highest quality ice cream both in texture and flavor, Mason integrates science into his craft to produce truly original, handmade ice cream. All of the ice cream is pasteurized on site in the Williamsburg kitchen using locally-sourced, additive-free dairy as well as fresh, seasonal produce sourced from the Union Square Farmer’s Market. 

Since opening the flagship location and a second shop in the East Village, Mason has created an abundance of both “oddball” flavors like Chorizo Caramel Swirl, Cornbread, Pretzel, Miso Cherry, and Buttermilk Honey Blueberry, as well as upgraded twists on the classics like Iced Milk & Cookies, Toasted Coconut Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel, and Pecan Pie. He also launched the crowd-pleasing Cotton Candy Cone and Foie Gras Drumstick and upgraded sundaes like the Cornbread Sundae, Beer Sundae, and Popcorn Sundae.

Mason is the recipient of Star Chef’s “NY Rising Star” award, was nominated for a James Beard Award for “Outstanding Pastry Chef," and his work has been seen in and praised by The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, Bon Appétit, Vogue, Time Out New York, New York Magazine's Grub Street, Zagat, Eater, and more.