normal ice cream
“Ice cream should be a part of your normal daily life - a treat you can savor every day,” says Alexa Norlin, the visionary behind Normal Ice Cream. Alexa, a classically trained pastry chef who studied in Canada and on the East Coast, noticed a gap in Utah’s dessert scene when she moved to Salt Lake City. She wanted to introduce something new: high-end soft-serve ice cream. With a love for soft serve that stemmed from her childhood, she saw the potential to elevate this classic treat with unique, decadent flavors.
In 2016, Alexa bought a 1960 Grumman van - originally a mail carrier van - and transformed it into an ice cream truck. She drove it around Salt Lake, parking in front of her friend’s business and serving up creative flavors including olive oil, Earl Grey tea, and passion fruit. She wanted to break out of the classic vanilla and chocolate and offer something people had never seen before. The truck quickly became a local favorite, but after a year, Alexa realized that running a mobile operation was not sustainable.
Alexa found a more permanent home for her business in Trolley Square Mall. She parked the truck inside the lobby for four years while she worked on establishing a brick-and-mortar location. In 2019, Normal Ice Cream opened its doors in the Maven district. The team also began producing their ice cream wholesale. Today, Normal Ice Cream has 100 accounts across the nation, with most of them in Salt Lake, where locals can enjoy the inventive flavors that made the brand famous. The shop collaborates with local markets and restaurants to create custom flavors, like the salted maple dipped in dark chocolate with brown butter crumbs, available at Handle in Park City and HSL in Salt Lake.
Tatiana Tyszko, who started as a cashier in 2020, now manages the entire business. “I love working here; it’s like a second home,” Tatiana says. “I left the corporate world to find a job that spoke to my passions - it’s awesome to make ice cream for a living and bring joy to people.”
All the ice cream and ingredients are made at the Maven location, and customers are often surprised by the size of the basement, where the kitchen, storage, and office space are housed. The truck eventually moved out of Trolley Square in 2022 and now operates at a roller-skating rink in Mill Creek Common all year-round. “It’s interesting being outside again, but we’re protected under a roof, half inside and half outside,” Tatiana notes. Despite the winter chill, they sell more ice cream than hot drinks.
With each passing year, Normal Ice Cream continues to grow, but at its core, the mission remains the same: “We want people to come in for something delicious, whether they live nearby or are visiting, and leave with a piece of happiness they can enjoy every day." The menu changes monthly, keeping things fresh and exciting for both the team and their loyal customers.
