The new face of ice-cream in NYC is as zany as the flavours on offer. A waxed mustache and flesh tunnel earrings seem almost compulsory when your special-of-the-day flavour is brunch. That is, brunch ice-cream – french toast, maple syrup and bacon. Or chocolate babka, or olive oil. But when one maker says “If I don’t make really good ice-cream, I’ll die” and another says quite emphatically “We make the best ice-cream in the world”, you know this is a serious business.

Common to both new creameries in the East Village is authenticity, everything is made from scratch including pasteurizing the mix and waffling the cones. Davey was an art director before becoming an artisan, where he now works farmer’s hours, but was still smiling as he unloaded his empty cart after a day at the markets. Perhaps he saw the food tour trailing out the door of his shop – or the satisfaction on our faces after polishing off his chocolate chocolate. It was a big decision after tasting almost every flavour in the fridge. Samples are readily given – nay, encouraged, and served on a metal spoon. No wooden disposables for this new fashioned foodery.

Oddfellows offers eight different flavours each day drawing from over 120 possibilities. Sean and I could have struck Tobacco, Smoked Chili and Huckleberry – as one flavor – but instead had not one but two caramels to consider. The burnt caramel was supreme, but the milk chocolate caramel was even more amazing, boasting chocolate bits in rich creamy ice-cream. It was as though the chef created my new favorite by doodling with the chocolate spoon over the tub of frozen ice-cream, drizzling shapes until they set. This is a dangerous thing to experiment with at home – especially when it could lead to a whole new world of adornment….