Sign up for our Newsletter

Ice cream cone from Snowflake in Riverhead. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe co-owner Stu Feldschuh couldn’t even make the flavor of the week at his Riverhead shop this time around. That would require tasting it.

A man who admits he can’t handle spicy foods, he deferred to his wife Carolyn and a friend to come up with this one: Cinco de Mayo.

Made with cinnamon chocolate ice cream and a little habanero pepper it’s not for the faint of heart, even if his recipe includes bits of dark cherry to soften the blow.

“It has a real flame to it,” Feldschuh said.

Since the flavor debuted over the weekend, just in time for the Mexican day of celebration, Feldschuh said it’s developed a “love it or hate it” reputation.

The flavor of the week at the popular East Main Street shop has developed a real following the past couple years. Last year’s selections included Black Magic Woman, Blarney Stone, Car 54 and Cinnamon Bun.

He even made a fig ice cream when the underutilized fruit was in season and this Passover he was serving up Matzah Mash ice cream at the shop he’s owned since 1988.

Many of the flavors he makes come from recommendations given by customers, mostly through Facebook. He says he only has so much room in his display cases for exotic flavors so he makes up a batch he estimates will last a week.

While you might think that 2015 has been rough on the Feldschuhs, you’d be incorrect. Even with it snowing when he opened back up Feb. 13, business has been booming.

“I don’t know how to figure it,” he said. “The weather has been terrible and we’re having our best season yet. It’s either that Riverhead is bustling or that we’ve just developed a very nice following.”

Feldschuh said Cinco de Mayo will likely be served through the end of the week.

[email protected]

X
X