Ninety degree weather has become our new normal, so a perennial summer treat of ice cream has become more of a necessity for cooling off.

A number of restaurateurs have a brought diversity to the scene, turning ice cream into a connoisseur’s dream. Here are some of the newer options in town.

BLACK SHEEP CREAM CO.

>> 94-1235 Ka Uka Blvd., Waipio; 620-5550; open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

>> 43 S. Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa; 620-5550; open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays

Following the example of her mother, who ran a smoothie shop, Tasi Reid naturally developed the entrepreneurial spirit in childhood.

“I started a bikini business when I was in high school, an online bikini shop, just to get the ball rolling. I always knew I wanted to own my own business one day. I wanted to be the girl boss, just like my mom.”

Reid saved money from her bikini business to open her first Black Sheep Cream Co. in Waipio two years ago when she was 21. She opened her second shop in Wahiawa in April and already has a third in the works, which speaks to the popularity of her ice cream, focused on bold flavors and quality ingredients.

“I don’t like to mess around with anything fake. I use quality ingredients and don’t like to skimp. I have a big sweet tooth so it isn’t too hard to come up with ideas for flavors. If I want a flavor, I come up with that. Recently I had a maple- bacon doughnut and said, ‘I’m gonna make that into an ice cream.’”

Her chalkboard menu boards are fun to look at, and she gets creative with names of flavors ranging from “Cereal Killer” (cereal milk cream with cornflake crumble), “Brown and Browner” (milk chocolate cream with brownie bits), and “Salted Crackamel” to describe the addictive taste of salted cream with caramel ribbons and cracker brittle.

The favorite of fans is “Buttah Cakes,” featuring homemade butter cake in a cream cheese base.

Reid also introduced ice cream flights ($10.50), so groups can try four flavors at once, along with a choice of hot fudge or caramel.

“I like to create a family atmosphere where you can come with a group, order an ice cream flight, and everyone can choose a different flavor. Everyone loves the flights.”

Costs are $4.50 for a single scoop in a cup, $6.50 for two scoops. Add $1 for a waffle cone or $1.50 for a waffle bowl. Root beer floats are also available for $6.25.

MID-LATE SUMMER

>> Kakaako Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays

>> Kailua Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m. to noon Sundays

During the 2-1/2 years Aaron Lopez worked as a pastry chef at Pai Honolulu, there was a running joke that he could turn any surplus ingredient into ice cream. And so he did, never repeating a flavor, using ingredients such as sumac, aloe vera, nopales and slippery elm.

He’s not about to break that streak now that he’s set off on his own with Mid-Late Summer. He’s been introducing his ice cream at farmers market and is wholesaling exclusive flavors created for others in the industry, starting with Ars Cafe on Monsarrat Avenue. Flavors created for the cafe include burnt apple with chrysanthemum, oatmeal, peanut butter with bergamot, and jackfruit and chamomile.

A “trust the chef” approach is necessary with combinations that challenge sensibilities about what a dessert should be. He’s served up cantaloupe chai, mango miso and egg fruit ice cream, and is playing with a sorbet made with hoja santa, an herb from the sassafras family with a licorice-anise flavor. His creations go for $5 per scoop.

At the farmers markets he finishes his ice creams with sauces and textured ingredients to complete the storytelling behind each creation. Sunflower ice cream incorporated the flower’s petals, seeds and sunchoke for a combination of salty, nutty perfumes and floral notes.

A recent offering of Lychee 3 Ways started with lychee ice cream, sprayed with chai spice tea blended with crushed lychee shells and finally sprinkled with a powder of dehydrated lychee-infused oil.

“I hate to say this, but I don’t want to create something kid-friendly,” Lopez said. “I’m taking the formula of fine dining and putting it in ice cream. I don’t want it to be easy. I want it to be a little scary.”

His philosophy is reflected in the name Mid-Late Summer, a reference to the best time to harvest poppy pods. “I’m obsessed with the idea of the poppy because it’s something that grows naturally, but you can get everything from latex to opium from it. … It’s something extremely beautiful, but also something extremely dangerous.

“I’m just trying to say don’t look at everything straightforward, but maybe 45 degrees to the right and you’ll see something completely different. The real genius was the person who turned chocolate into a dessert, because if you think of cacao, it’s really bitter. It wasn’t meant to be a dessert.

“I’m just trying to push ingredients to their fullest potential. I want to take you on a little journey and maybe you’ll change as you go.”

POPBOX

Kakaako Sunset Market, 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; follow @popboxhawaii on Instagram for updates

Siblings Katie, Meghan and Steve Decker always wanted to start a business together, but a decade of brainstorming led nowhere until a 1964 Citroen HY came into their lives. The panel van is now one of the star attractions of their mobile ice pop business.

A friend of Steve’s had been using the van to run an ice pop business on Kauai and wanted it to go to a good home.

“My brother’s such a great mechanic and the three of us worked on refurbishing it together,” said Katie. “The three of us fit together like a puzzle. We really couldn’t do this without each other.”

The van also functions as a mobile photo booth, so fans can snap selfies of themselves enjoying the frozen treats that take a natural, healthful approach to dessert.

“We’re keeping it seasonal. Right now it’s mango season so we’re using mangoes right out of our trees. We’re keeping it healthy so as low in sugar as possible.”

The van took to the streets in February and can carry 1,500 ice bars, usually in three to four flavor options. The aim is to offer a range of flavor profiles, from fruity to creamy. Recent selections have included mango-ginger lemonade, chocolate haupia, pineapple li-hing and watermelon agave, at $3.50 per pop.

Come fall, fans can look forward to sweet potato flavors for Thanksgiving, then holiday inspirations such as bourbon-infused apple pie, eggnog and hot chocolate- candy cane.

With a home base in Kaimuki, the van has popped up at community events in the area for such groups as Paws of Hawaii and Street Art Hawaii. It’s also available for private events from birthdays to graduations.

The owners’ love for dogs led them to come up with ice pops for dogs, with healthful ingredients and no added salt or sugar. They’re safe for human consumption, but are half the size, at $2.50.

“Parents love them for teething babies because they have no added sugar, and they look so adorable sucking on them,” Katie said.

And apparently, dogs have grown to love Popbox as well, recognizing the bright green van right away. “A lot of people have told us their dog spotted us before they did.”

SWEET CREAMS

>> 1430 Kona St.; 260-4725

>> Pearlridge Center, Wai Makai (formerly Downtown)

Jeffrey Kao and Bari Carroll became the first to introduce Thai-style rolled ice cream to Oahu in 2016. It took a lot of experimentation to perfect their recipe for a liquid base that would solidify on a minus-20 degree pan, making it easy to roll with a spatula and serve.

Their latest eureka moment came with the discovery that ingredients such as Gummy Bears and honey glow under black light, and that was the inspiration for creating a night-time experience, Ice Cream After Dark, 8 to 10 p.m. on the first Friday of every month at the original Kona Street location (behind Burger King on Kapiolani Boulevard).

The store is dressed with black lights and glow sticks. In addition to signature flavors such as Strawberry Shortcake, Cookies ‘N Cream, Beary Tasty Rainbow, and U-bebe Baby, incorporating all local fresh fruit and other ingredients, an After Dark Special ($7.50) is topped with Gummy Bears and honey-milk syrup.

Just don’t expect to see an ice cream rave when you go. The cute concept is bringing families out for G-rated fun.

THRILLS SOFT SERVE

510 Piikoi St.; open noon to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Ridge Hayashi and Sandy Bach are longtime friends who share a range of passions from K-pop to ice cream. While at McKinley High School, they vowed that they would one day open an ice cream shop.

After getting their feet wet in the industry with their first enterprise, Ice HNL, serving smokin’ dry-ice lemonades and other drinks at pop-ups and food events, they took the plunge in May, opening Thrills Soft Serve on Piikoi Street.

The experience of building their audience through Instagram informed their latest endeavor. Everything from the soft-serve ice cream to the space was made to create buzz on social media. And while that can come with a downside — if people find that some foods are more appetizing in pictures than in real life — that is not the case here.

Their passion for ice cream means everything is going to be as yummy as it appears on your screen in vivid shades of purple (ube), pink (Fruity Pebbles), blue (birthday cake) or yellow (mango), in flavors based on what they like to eat or suggestions from customers.

“There weren’t a lot of soft-serve options so we wanted to bring something different from the usual vanilla and chocolate,” Bach said.

Some flavors are based on childhood memories, such as how Hayashi’s grandmother used ube, and how Bach’s Chinese family used the versatility of black sesame in dishes from soups to desserts.

Four flavors are offered daily, switched out monthly. The soft-serve can be ordered in a cup ($5) or cone ($6). The cones — vanilla- butter waffle or an ebony version of dark cocoa, vanilla and butter — are made onsite.

The crowning touch on each creation is a cereal topping —such as Teddy Grahams, Lucky Charms, Froot Loops and Trix. Premium toppings are pink and white mochi squares (50 cents per choice) or giant toasted marshmallows ($1).

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.