B y now you've probably heard the news – supermodel Tyra Banks has opened her flagship ice cream shop in Sydney!

But there's two simple questions everyone wants answers to. Why an ice cream shop? And why in Australia?

Well, 9honey spoke to Banks about the topic, and it turns out that the reason for this new venture is one very close to her heart.

In case you're not aware, we'll start with a quick bit of backstory.

Banks started her ice cream brand SMiZE & DREAM back in 2020 and has since had pop-ups all over the world.

Now, five years later, she's opened up her first bricks and mortar store, in Sydney's Darling Harbour.

When you walk into the store, you're faced with a giant screen hung on the wall like a picture frame, with a note written from Banks to her mum, Carolyn London (affectionately known as Mumma Carolyn).

"Mama, I'll never be able to repay you for all the sacrifices you made for me and Devin," it reads.

"So what about if I dedicate my biggest dream to you?"

Turns out owning an ice cream shop was been one of Banks' dreams since she was a child, and now she's done it.

And the name of the store is a dedication to her mum.

"Ice cream is a big part of my life. We're an ice cream family," Banks explains.

"My mum and I used to bond over ice cream in Los Angeles, driving to Hollywood Boulevard and going to the Haagen-Dazs shop and sitting in the car and having ice cream together while she was working three jobs and you know just really trying to get more prosperity for our family."

When Banks was six years old, her parents divorce and she moved with her brother Devin and her mum to a one bedroom apartment.

She and her brother shared a room while her mum would sleep on the couch.

Her mum worked hard to move them into a two bedroom apartment within a year, and then a three bedroom within two years.

But amidst the chaos of working three jobs, she still found the time for the weekly ritual of enjoying an ice cream with her kids and inspiring their dreams.

"We would sit in that car and we would just dream and she would talk to me about sacrifice and how you get to your dreams," Banks recalls.

"So when I created this ice cream company, I wanted to honor those moments in that car and so it's SMiZE & DREAM. The dream is my mama and the smize is me."

As to why she decided to move to Australia and open her first store here, it's simply because Aussies love ice cream.

Australia is one of the biggest ice cream markets in the world, so it's honestly no wonder the former supermodel decided to make the move Down Under .

While some celebrities in Australia prefer to stay in their little bubble, it turns out that Banks has become a true Sydneysider, sharing that her favourite part of living here is the ferry.

" I love the ferry," she says.

"It's really nice to be like, 'Oh, you know what, let's just go to Balmain for dinner tonight on the ferry', or, 'Let's go to Circular Quay', or, 'Let's go to Manly!'

But the ferry has also become a special place for Banks too.

"And then also the ferry for me is like a an exhale, like a little bit of a massage for me – I have sciatica now so I can't really get massages right now on my back, so I'm like 'I need a ferry ride'," she laughs.

"Sometimes I'll just get on it by myself and just go. It's very special for me."

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