Imagine walking down the streets of Chinatown on a hot New
York summer day. The heat is blistering and the sun (the same one you wished
for during the long winter) is harsh. You would love a cold drink or perhaps
even some frozen treat. There doesn’t seem to be much here except clothing
retailers on Orchard Street though. You swivel your head from side to side in
the vain hope that you might find
something interesting to eat or drink when suddenly you chance upon a small
bakery / shop tucked away between two big establishments. It is Melt Bakery.
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| The Jackson and The Morticia |
Be careful though. You might just miss it and you definitely
do not want to do that. It has bright colorful round signs of all sizes with
mysterious sounding words like “The Classic,” “The Morticia,” “The Lovelet,”
and the “The Elvis.” The signs themselves look so appealing that they pull you
into this small shop that is also a bakery and has big freezers everywhere. You
are greeted with a cheerful hello by the girl who is perched atop a high stool
and you look at the models of these beautiful ice cream sandwiches sitting on
the counter. Should I get the red cookie one or the chocolate one with the
sparkly sugar on top? You finally decipher the mysterious words. The Lovelet,
it turns out, is cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between two red velvet
cookies and The Elvis is a peanut butter cookie sandwich with banana ice cream.
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| cinnamon cookies for The Cinnamax |
My favorite is The Jackson though. You won’t read the name
on any of the signs but ask the shop girl and she will dig deep into the
freezer and pull out a mini sandwich for you. It is a mango lassi flavored ice
cream with pistachio cookies and the flavors just burst in your mouth. They are
authentic Indian flavors and ones my grandmother will be proud of.
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| The Lovelet |
Julian Plyter is the creative head and chef behind this
enterprise. He and his partner Kareem started vending these sandwiches at the
Hester Street Fair in 2010 when they felt that the market needed some ice cream
in between cookies! Local sustainable and honest food is their goal and Julian
has been known to pick his own peaches and figs for the ice creams straight from
his parent’s farm in upstate New York.
They are currently vending from their store on Orchard
Street as well as every weekend at the Hester Street Fair.
