by Andrea Hove

Every quarter the Eastvale Edition profiles a local business or individual and this quarter we’ve chosen James Chiang the owner of Baskin Robbins in the Albertson’s Center.  James lives in Eastvale with his wife Lindy and their two children, Monica and Vincent.

Tell us about you, your family and how you came to Eastvale?
I am a first generation immigrant, and have worked with my parents since I was 18. I have owned and operated many businesses.  I started most of them from scratch and some of them I still own. I started as a one man restaurant supplier. My truck was my only asset back then and 18 years ago I started L.A. Catering. A few years ago, I gave the company to my dad as a retirement gift. It is the largest Asian catering company in Southern California now and I am still involved with the operation. I owned a 200 vending machine route in Ontario for 7 years right before I moved to Eastvale. I moved here for the great location. Eastvale is a newer area that is surrounded by 4 major freeways. It seemed to me that Eastvale combined a new energy with a new opportunity, and I didn’t want to miss it.

Tell us about your business?
I wanted to own a business in my area and Baskin Robbins was the right one for me. It has 65 years of history with the strongest brand name in its category. BR attracted me because not only is it an ice cream store, but it also has many different product lines. BR carries Cappuccino Blast, Fruit Blast & Pre-Packed Ice Cream like in the supermarket. Best of all BR makes the best ice cream cake catered to any occasion. BR is the only brand that sells both hard scoop and soft serve.

What is the cost?
We have “Dollar Scoop Night” every Tuesday from 5 pm to 10 pm.
We also have a special “Add a Scoop for Just 99 cents”.
 Double Headers (a cone has both soft serve and hard scoop) is only $2.22. 
Any kid that wears their sports team uniform will get a 50 cent discount.

Any funny stories? How did you get into this line of business?
My wife is a Cappuccino Blast maniac. When we were living in Orange County, I had to buy her one every night just so I could step through my front door. Even the girls who worked in that BR knew me so well that by the time I parked my big truck and walked inside the store, my wife’s Blast was already made the way my wife wanted. I always complained to her that with all the money that I spent on the Blasts, I could buy her a store. Now here I am. I now do the same thing those BR girls did for me, the Blasts are ready for my regular customers as they step into my store. It’s funny that I have customers come see us everyday, but they are not ice cream customers, they are Cappuccino Blast lovers. It is unique that each of them has a special way of making it and our girls can make them just right. You should come try our Blast too. Beware, you may get hooked on them too.

Anything else?
BR is a fun business, especially if you love kids. Unlike any other brand or business, 80 % of our customers bring their kids with them when they visit our store. Our store is where family can have valuable time together to have fun. “We sell FUN, not ice cream”.
What clubs or organizations do you support?
I support all the schools in Eastvale and some in Norco and Ontario. I support them by giving the school rewards program to the students, helping the PTA fundraise and getting involved with school activities, etc.  I also support all sports team in Eastvale, if any coaches need a rewards program for the team players, please contact us.