If you were an underemployed gregarious bassoonist, what would you do during your summer off? Open an ice cream truck, of course! But not just any old ice cream truck—one that’s decorated with large rainbow-swirled cones and that serves up specials like the Salty Pimp and the Bea Arthur. And you would call it the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, opening your newest adventure in June of 2009 during New York City’s Pride Weekend in an experience that can only be classified as a “disaster.” As least, this is what Doug Quint did. Oh, and there may or may not have been a magical unicorn involved.
Doug and his partner in life and business, Bryan Petroff, didn’t intend for the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck to take over their lives. A friend, Andrea Fisher, had found success with her own ice cream truck usually parked around Times Square when a boss asked her to find more drivers like her. “Her intent was to find pretty girls,” but instead she roped Doug in. “We had the crazy idea to actually be good at it. If you’re going to get repeat customers, you’re going to have to be nice.” In addition to utilizing his personality, Doug decided to change up the menu a little bit. New York City ice cream trucks all have the same basic menu, one that’s barely changed with the years. But you will find trucks that want to break out of that box and offer off-the-menu specials. “We couldn’t change the ice cream, but we could change what was on it.” They turned to the desserts they had enjoyed over the years, including those found at a pizzeria in Mill Valley, California, and Brooklyn’s own Franny’s.
After that fateful day during the Brooklyn Pride parade, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck started appearing in Midtown and Chelsea—often at a spot on East 17th Street and Broadway—quickly gaining the attention of the major food blogs. “There was something kind of underground, subversive about it,” says Bryan. “It took some finding. You had to seek it out.” Fans raved about the premium toppings, such as Trix and curried coconut, but the real turning point came with the debut of the Choinkwich. Bacon was peaking as a trend, and the idea of making an ice-cream sandwich stuffed with bacon and chocolate definitely turned heads. It wasn’t long before Doug’s nightly line was ten to twenty people deep. But despite gaining success and widespread popularity—including nominations in the 2009 and 2010 Vendy Awards and visits from food critics like Vogue’s Jeffrey Steingarten—the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck ultimately ended up taking the winter of 2009–10 off for Doug to tour with an orchestra. Fans rejoiced when the truck reopened for the 2010 season, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2011 that rumors began about a brick-and-mortar store. The store finally gave Bryan a reason to leave his corporate day job to take on the (more than) full-time store management. Most days, you can find one or both of the guys there on the truck during the summer season, at the ready with jokes to brighten your day. “The most fun is that it makes it fun for other people.”
“To do something really idiotic, to do something fun, that’s where the idea came from.”
Adapted from Doug Quint’s recipe
One of Big Gay Ice Cream’s signature cones is the Salty Pimp. When you visit the truck, you’ll get a sugar cone lined with dulce de leche before being filled with soft-serve vanilla ice cream. More dulce de leche is pumped into the ice cream that’s then dipped into chocolate shell after a sprinkling of sea salt. Since making ice cream truck soft serve is nearly impossible at home, unless you’re one of the lucky ones with a machine, Doug and Bryan have come up with an at-home version of their famous treat. This sundae is excellent when using ice cream from Van Leeuwen (page 182).
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 tablespoons dulce de leche (page 186)
2 tablespoons dark chocolate shell (page 186)
pinch sea salt
Make sure both the dulce de leche and chocolate shell are cool yet fluid.
Place the ice cream in a bowl and drizzle the dulce de leche on top. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Spoon the chocolate shell over the ice cream and dulce de leche. Let sit for a minute to harden. Enjoy.
Adapted from Doug Quint’s recipe
Doug and Bryan believe using a Crock Pot® and glass canning jar yield a better dulce de leche than other well-known methods. This recipe may take a long time and need a supervising eye to catch when it hits the right color, but you’ll be rewarded with an extra-fancy sauce.
1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
french canning jar
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Empty the sweetened condensed milk into the jar. Add salt and stir. Flip lid closed by don’t lock it.
Place jar in a crock pot. Fill crock pot with enough hot water to cover the milk (any higher and the jar will bob up and down).
Turn the crock pot heat on high.
After the first hour, open the jar and stir to ensure the salt is properly combined into the milk.
Periodically check that the water still covers the milk. If it has evaporated down, add more hot water, not cold water to maintain temperature.
Leave the jar in the crock pot for about 4½ to 5 hours, cooking time will vary based on crockpot model. When done, dulce de leche should be smooth and creamy with a rich caramel color.
Adapted from Doug Quint’s recipe
Chocolate dip, that wonderfully waxy coating for soft-serve ice cream, is surprisingly easy to make at home and with this DIY version you can make it with top quality chocolate minus all the preservatives.
CUP10 ounces 72% cacao dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
cup coconut oil
Add chocolate to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with waxed paper and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and if the chocolate isn’t completely melted, cover, and microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring in between until chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in coconut oil. Transfer to a clean large bowl and continue whisking until mixture reaches room temperature, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
