Valleywide : The Coolest Job in Town: Ice Cream Taster

His embassy? An apartment.

His uniform? A lab coat.

His duties? Eating ice cream. Lots of it.

Such is the life of Gary Carlson, a free-lance advertising writer and producer who earlier this year was chosen to represent Los Angeles as an “ice cream ambassador” for Oakland-based Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream.

The 38-year-old Glendale resident said he applied for one of the 37 ceremonial posts on a whim, but admits he’s loved the stuff for years.

“I like to write, so late at night I’ll have a bowl of ice cream when I’m writing,” he said.

During his year as ambassador, Carlson is required to taste new products in development and send back his impressions. So far, he’s sampled three works-in-progress, evaluating everything from texture, appearance and consistency to the flavor’s proposed name.

“It’s kind of a challenge for me to be objective,” he said. “I like ice cream. It’s one of my favorite foods.”

Carlson beat out approximately 10,000 other applicants nationwide by tweaking his resume to list such cheeky accomplishments as director of promotion and publicity for “Twentieth Creamy Flavor Corporation” and his membership in the “Icea Creama Creama” fraternity.

Spokeswoman Jenifer Howard said that the company employs its own in-house tasters but that the ambassadors’ feedback is a welcome addition.

“[They’re] like a big focus group for us,” she said.

Cookie dough is Carlson’s favorite flavor, but he jokingly named teriyaki and sushi as others he’d like to see.

Although “sworn to secrecy” regarding the secret samples he evaluates, he said he’s aware that he shares his hometown with rival ice cream titan Baskin-Robbins.

“They haven’t contacted me,” he said, chuckling. “I expected some people coming around to look in the windows.”