There's no denying that Chris Leung is one of the finest pastry chefs in Houston, although the young Leung has only been on the scene for a few years, starting out with a two-year stint at the Houston Country Club. Leung was instrumental in the success of Bootsie's before it closed, working side-by-side with chef Randy Rucker, and ran an equally intriguing pastry program at Yelapa. In 2011, he was named one of Houston's Rising Star Chefs by Star Chefs and went on to compete in the organization's International Chef's Congress later that year.

Since then, Leung has been busy turning heads with his inventive desserts at Kata Robata and with his homemade ice creams -- under the banner of "Cloud 10 Creamery" -- which are served at restaurants such as Underbelly and The Hay Merchant. And ever since Leung started making that small-batch ice cream in flavors like smoked hay, Vietnamese coffee, pandan and the cutely-named "black and blue" (chock full of blackberries and blueberries), fans have wondered how long it would be before Cloud 10 Creamery -- which launched this summer, along with partner Christopher Balat -- had a space of its own.

Move over, Marble Slab. Beat it, Baskin-Robbins. Cloud 10 Creamery is finally here.

Moving into a brand-new spot across Kelvin from Local Foods and benjy's, Cloud 10 Creamery will open its first retail location this spring. The 1200-square-foot space will feature an ice cream shop with an open kitchen -- an unusual if intriguing idea.

"Cloud 10 is more than just about ice cream," said Leung. "At this new location we will be doing things rarely experienced in the frozen dessert world. Being a part of something new and original in Houston is very exciting to me."

Cloud 10 promises more than just ice cream, though; a press release promises a "wide variety of frozen desserts."

Says partner Balat: "Chef Leung has a heart for innovation and we share the same vision to bring something different to Houston, something more than just an ordinary ice cream shop."

Judging by Leung's extraordinary creations at Kata Robata, Bootsie's and Yelapa, I'd expect nothing less.