Water ice is a Philadelphia dessert staple and it has garnered a cult-like following in Los Angeles thanks to Lemeir Mitchell’s wildly popular Happy Ice truck and, as of June, a brick-and-mortar along the vein of the Melrose stretch.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concoction, it comes in a variety of fruit-forward flavors—Cherry Bomb, Watermelon Lush, even an ode to the Big Stick called Time Machine—and sits somewhere along the lines of a granita-meets-Italian ice though is somehow more creamy. (Just don’t call it a slushy or sorbet or, well, a granita.)

Now, Mitchell is taking his truck on a tour and Long Beach will be an official pitstop on Aug. 16, when the Happy Ice crew hangs out all day at the 2nd & PCH retail complex every Sunday through September.

The famed Happy Ice food truck that started a Los Angeles dessert legend.

“There was no way Happy Ice could have a SoCal Truck tour without stopping in Long Beach,” Mitchell said. “Long Beach is so important to Southern California’s history and has invited Happy Ice in with open arms. It feels like home, the energy is undeniable. Having the truck at 2nd & PCH just solidified that Long Beach had to be a stop. We love Long Beach, and based on the reactions from our repeat Happy Campers and First Timers we know the feeling is mutual. Also, we have our eye on a potential permanent Happy Ice location in Long Beach in 2021.”

After moving west from Philadelphia in 2017, Mitchell has been trekking throughout greater Los Angeles. With a knack for entrepreneurship from the get-go—Mitchell had intended to make an imprint on the tattoo scene after he bought his friend’s equipment—and a determination to escape the tragedies of his family. At 10-years-old, his father was sentenced to life in prison, leaving Mitchell to be the example for his 10 siblings. His brother Kevin, the first in his family set to graduate college, died in a motorcycle accident one week before graduation.

Mitchell was able to perservere and seemed destined for success given his resilience. It would be a success based on his favorite childhood treat, inherently interconnected to his new home in L.A. After all, it was the vibrant food truck culture that stretched on Melrose that inspired Mitchell to bring water ice to SoCal, though he knew he would have to study the art of water ice by returning to Philly, where he studied under the mentorship of Fred Cooper, owner of Fred’s Water Ice, arguably Philly’s most respected water ice institution.

Courtesy of Happy Ice.

Opening on Sept. 4 in 2017, Happy Ice was a decent success but nothing of what it is now as Mitchell has garnered nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, celebrities from Heidi Klum to Post Malone have become regular patrons and he has created flavors dedicated to causes like Black Lives Matter, for which he donates 100% of the profits.

And with The Happiness Tour, Mitchell is returning to his roots, visiting not just Long Beach but Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, San Diego and more.

“You cannot leave the truck without a smile,” Mitchell told the Los Angeles Times when he opened his brick-and-mortar on Melrose. “Whether you’re laughing at us or with us, you’re laughing.”

2nd & PCH is located at the southwest corner of Second Street and Pacific Coast Hwy.