Ever since selling his FroYo shops several years ago to focus on his restaurant, Nami Ramen, Jason Jan daydreamed about getting back into the frozen dessert business. The dream has become a reality at dohmo (9538 Olive), an innovative, whimsical alternative to the traditional ice cream and dessert shop.
What makes dohmo different is its focus on customization: Using a special blending machine, guests can concoct their own personalized ice cream flavors using a wide range of mix-in ingredients. The shop also offers freshly made taiyaki waffles and several “series” of teas.
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The shop officially opens Saturday, November 9. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Concept
Dohmo—a play on the Japanese word “domo,” which translates to the English “very”—is based around a special ice cream blender that, as Jan explains, allows guests to design their dream flavors from an assortment of options, then watch as their desserts are made to order and dispensed right before their eyes. Then with the push of a button, the machine runs a self-cleaning cycle, rinsing and sanitizing the mixing cone so it’s ready for the next dessert.
“Say you come in and would like fresh strawberries and chocolate chips. We can do that,” says Jan. “Then, the next person comes in and wants coffee and pistachio. We can do that as well, and it all happens in a matter of minutes. The idea is for customers to choose their own combinations for a personalized experience.”
Guests can order in person at the counter or by using an order kiosk. Online ordering is an option as well but “gets a little tricky because it’s ice cream, and it’s made-to-order,” Jan says. “Then again, it only takes about two minutes to complete an order, start to finish.”
The Menu
The sky’s the limit when it comes to flavors, says Jan. Guests begin by selecting a base—vanilla, chocolate, or a non-dairy coconut option—and then choose two or more mix-ins. The mix-ins range from fruits such as berries, bananas, mango, and pineapple to chocolate chips, cheesecake bites, cookies, cookie dough, candies, and cereals. There are also Asian-inspired options, such as matcha, ube, and yuzu. With around “30 mix-ins to start,” Jan notes, “the combinations are practically endless.”
Beyond the custom options, there’s a diverse menu of a dozen specialty creations inspired by Jan’s family favorites, including The GOAT (vanilla ice cream with cheesecake bites, lemon cookie bits, and graham cracker crumbs), The Vibe (white chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream with white chocolate chips), and Matcha Matcha (green tea matcha ice cream with mocha bites). Additional choices include ingredients not found at other local ice cream shops, such as speculoos (spiced gingerbread shortbread cookies), CrumbOlé Otto Caramel (caramel biscotti), and Krocco Milk Arabeschi (chocolate cereal crunch).
Guests can enjoy their ice cream in one of three ways: a large bowl garnished with two Pocky sticks (chocolate- and fruit cream-dipped biscuit sticks); as a kid-size bowl topped with a taiyaki fish (Japanese-style waffle) placed tail up; or as a milkshake served with an extra-wide straw.
The taiyaki waffles, made to order from traditional mochi flour, are also available as a standalone snack or with a variety of sweet and savory fillings, such as Nutella, custard, lemon cookie bites, chocolate cereal crunch, red bean, mozzarella, or bacon and cheese.
Dohmo also features an extensive drink menu curated by Yen Luu, Jan’s wife and business partner, who is passionate about Asian teas. The selection includes 25 beverages divided into five series: milk tea, salted tea, fruit tea, spritzers, and panna cotta-based drinks.
Customers can further customize their drinks by adding boba (tapioca pearls) or jellies, the latter being a lighter alternative to boba. “Boba tea is becoming more popular everywhere,” Luu explains, “but we wanted to take a different approach” to what she describes as a “liquid dessert” experience.
The Atmosphere
Dohmo occupies a corner space in a new strip center in Olivette, with seating for 30 inside and a patio seating half that number. SPACE Architects + Designers oversaw both the branding and store design, a visually appealing aesthetic that emphasizes the machines and customization aspect of the concept.
“We kept the interior bright and neutral to best show off the back wall of colorful toppings,” says SPACE co-owner and designer Shelley Niemeier. “We positioned the ice cream mixers on the back counter and the taiyaki makers on the front counter, so guests can watch the little fish-shaped waffles being made.”
Jan sees dohmo as an interactive experience, and he wanted the design to capture that concept. “The machines are in full view of the customer, so they can observe the entire process,” says Jan. “We wanted dohmo to entertain people from start to finish.”
The Backstory
After running several FroYo stores in the metro area, Jan opened Nami Ramen in January 2016 in downtown Clayton. He later moved the restaurant to its current location, in the former Bobo Noodle House space near Skinker Boulevard and Forest Park Parkway. Jan admits that the pandemic made him question his future in the industry, as dining restrictions, staffing shortages, rising product and labor costs, and changing diner habits created significant challenges for Nami Ramen, as they did for many other restaurants. Now, he feels ready to embrace a new concept, one that excites him and resonates deeply with his family—and, he hopes, with St. Louis ice cream enthusiasts.
“Ice cream brings smiles and happiness,” says Jan. “That’s what I’ve always loved about the industry, and it’s why I want to return to it—seeing family and friends come together over food makes this a joyful business to be in.”
He acknowledges that every venture has its hurdles and lessons, but “there’s a part of me that loves introducing new concepts to St. Louis,” Jan says, reflecting on the entrepreneurial drive he’s had since his days as a student at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “St. Louis is a great place to raise a family, and from a business perspective, it’s very welcoming. People here support small business owners and see us as the backbone of the economy.”
