There are no rules for eating an ice cream sandwich (although ice cream sandwiches certainly rule).
Do you devour the whole thing an a series of bites containing equal proportions of cookie and ice cream? Do you slurp the ice cream out of the center, causing the cookie to cave in slightly, and then eat the outside? Do you peel back the cookie with your teeth and then eat the ice cream like soft serve?
No matter your approach, Susie Pearson hopes to provide new delights for you to explore. Forget about those ice cream sandwiches of elementary school with their at-once soggy and chalky crusts. Pearson's street cart, Sunshine Sammies, offers Ultimate Ice Cream tucked between fresh-baked cookies, doughnuts, cupcakes and other pastries.
“I'm doing all kinds of crazy things in terms of the cookie part,” she says. “I'm going to do a little bit of everything and feature other local businesses with the goal of making the craziest, most epic ice cream sandwiches ever.”
So while Pearson will offer sugar cookie exteriors, she'll also create specialties like breakfast ice cream sandwiches with cinnamon roll cookies on the outside and Ultimate's maple-bacon ice cream on the inside.
Expect collaborations with Short Street Cakes, too. Pearson rents that kitchen while the shop is closed, and she hopes to feature their cupcakes — stuffed with ice cream, of course.
Pearson says her compatriots in the food business inspire her. “This town is so supportive of small business and people doing whatever makes them happy,” she says. “This town has totally introduced me to good food.”
Look for Pearson's cart near the intersection of Patton and Lexington avenues, across the street from Asheville Music Hall. The handmade cart is outfitted with solar panels to run the freezer, so it's pretty easy to spot.
She'll sell about five varieties of ice cream sandwiches, including a vegan/gluten-free option (think chocolate whoopie pie cookies with soy vanilla ice cream). She'll pass out the treats individually wrapped and ready to eat. Look for Pearson Thursday through Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) from about 3 to 9 p.m. throughout the summer.
For more information, look for Sunshine Sammies on Facebook.
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