We recently connected with Ozzie Ledesma and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ozzie, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

For more than 23 years I was in a career where everything was structured; from what I wore to work to what my I was able to do at work. Yeah, I was able to be in positions where I was able to make some key decisions and was able to influence other decisions, but everything had to be completed with regulations. As I was getting ready to retire, I was not certain what I was going to do. For a while there I there I was headed in the direction of real-estate until my life was changed on a sunny South Carolina day in December 2020. It was a Monday at 1210PM, the sky was blue and clear, the sun was shining bright, the winds were calm, and it was a warm 68-degree day. I drove to Vampire Penguin in North Augusta to try their desserts for the first time. I had seen a Facebook from September announcing their Grand Opening but because of COVID restrictions I was not able to visit their location. On this particular Monday I had not checked their store hours, so I did not notice the CLOSED sign on the door. Back home I went but was determined to be there when they opened the next day. That evening I did a little research and found out that they were a franchise and that they originally started in Elk Grove, CA. I went to bed excited for Tuesday to come and to try something new. Morning had finally arrived, and I did not have to work that day. I got may day started, ran some errands, and made sure I was at Vampire Penguin by 1223PM, just 23 minutes after they opened, and I was the first customer of the day. I looked over the menu and decided to go with the Mexican Candy; a blend of mango flavored snow, chamoy, caramel sauce, tajin, watermelon pieces, and mango bobo. I had NEVER experienced anything like this in my life and I have travelled to many different countries. The texture was indescribable, and the flavor combinations just brought so much joy to my taste buds. I was instantly hooked! I finished the Mexican Candy and went back to order the Polar Affogato; coffee and vanilla flavored snow, topped with chocolate drizzle, and whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder with a side of brownies. NEED I SAY MORE?! I went home, directly home, I did not pass go, and I contacted Paolo and Leo San Luis, the brother masterminds behind this amazing creation. That evening I had a long phone call with Paolo and my life was changed forever. I was a paratrooper in the United States Army and wasn’t really scared jumping out of airplanes, I mean you are given instruction, direction, and equipment to help you safely fall from a perfectly good aircraft. Don’t get me wrong, there is always a little bit nerves but if you ever had questions or were unsure about something, you always had someone to ask. Here I was about to retire and separate myself from everything I had known for more than my adult life to do something completely different. I knew I was moving back home to Arizona and prior to discovering Vampire Penguin I was accepted to a 2-month internship with a real estate company in the Phoenix Metro Area. While the internship was a complete flop, it did allow me research what I wanted to with Vampire Penguin in Arizona. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I bought in as a franchise owner as soon as I arrived in Arizona for my internship. After 2 months of research, I decided to go with starting off as a dessert trailer. We started slinging snow in The Valley in August of 2021 and have enjoyed every single minute of it. I have learned a lot in the industry and as a small business owner but the one thing I have realized…you never stop learning. Things have been going well and we do have a following who we endearingly call out STALKERS. We figure that a penguin that is a vampire would be a predatory bird and would stalk its prey, hence the term. We look forward to 2023, we have some great events on the horizon, and we are creating new desserts all of the time.

Ozzie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I love tell people my story about how I got into the Vampire Penguin business and how I roped my better half, Lisa Ledesma, to join me on this journey. But what I love to talk about more is our delicious desserts and how we bring our creations together. I usually ask people if they have ever tried shaved ice or snow cones, and the almost always respond with a YES! Then I tell them that our SNOW is nothing like that. Snow cones or ice refers to something that is hard and crunchy, that is a not what we serve. Our snow is light and fluffy, like fresh powder that fell from the sky but with flavor. Did I mention that our snow is already flavored, so you don’t have to worry about all of the flavor dripping to the bottom and then having a syrupy mess. Some people like snow cones so for those people we will shave one of our snow flavors in a bowl and call it a day; that’s our version of a snow cone. But what we are really known for is creating decadent desserts utilizing shaved snow. We operate different from the other Vampire Penguin locations across the country in that we change up our menu constantly, keeping our STALKERS on their toes with new creations.

Some things that separate us is that our snow contains 3-4 times less calories and sugar that ice cream and yogurt. We can customize our menu for almost any event. While there are over 30 Vampire Penguin locations across the country, we are the only ones in Arizona.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I was born and raised in Arizona and when I made my decision to move back home after 24 years of active-duty service, I wanted to get involved with the community as much as possible. We do a lot of work with local businesses and schools in The West Valley. We have been a part of many fundraising events for various school programs as well as collection of donations for various nonprofit organizations. Because we are so involved with the community, we are more than just another food truck.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I was never a big fan of social media, having deleted my accounts various times throughout the years. But in 2019 I was in an online master’s program through Arizona State University and was taking an elective entitle Social Media. It wasn’t my first choice, but it was the “easiest” class I wanted to take at that time. From the get-go I expressed my dissatisfaction with social media, and I did not really see me using it that much in the future. Little did I know that everything I learned from that class has been invaluable and I have reached out to the professor of that class to thank her for everything she taught me. I use social media all-day every-day. Phone calls, text messages, DMs on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, emails from our website, comments on our posts, and leads for potential gigs. When people come to visit us, I like to ask what brought them out or how they knew were there? It is good to hear when they say they saw one of our social media posts. It helps us see what platform is working best and how we can change things up. Social media is great tool to use, and you are never too old to learn.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vampirepenguinpeoria.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vampirepenguinpeoria/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vampirepenguinPeoria
• Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@vppeoria