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Sam and Sydney Squatrito sample their goods outside the For Goodness Cakes food truck. (Credit: Felicia LaLomia)

Rainbow cookie cosmic brownie, s’mores cookie dough cone, cheesecake-stuffed banana bread brownie — these are just a few of the fantastical creations that have emerged from the For Goodness Cakes dessert truck. These treats don’t just sound like something from Alice in Wonderland, they look like it, too. The colorful brownie has layers of the full ROYGBV smushed inside the chocolate and topped with sprinkles. The cookie dough cone is a childhood dream — with a scoop of cookie dough where ice cream would be, topped with cinnamon, marshmallows and chocolate chips. And the cheesecake-stuffed banana bread brownie, we will get to.

The dessert food truck is the brainchild of sisters and partners Sam and Sydney Squatrito. Since launching the business in 2019, their Instagram has amassed more 20,000 followers and counting. “From people sharing and posting on their [Instagram] Story, we grew so much that by the time we [re]opened in July 2020, we just had a line every day since and we’re so lucky,” Sam said. 

Although the duo is from Port Jefferson, they drive their truck all over Long Island, including to the North Fork’s Rottkamp Farms in Calverton, where you can find them most weekends this summer and fall, starting at noon and continuing until they inevitably sell out of treats.

From the name to the look, their desserts are an explosion of creativity, with splashes of rainbows, sprinkles, frosting and layers. They know the visual allure is their strength in bringing the crowd so they play to it. “If your Instagram looks good, then there’s a good chance that people are gonna want to try something,” Sydney said. “So we’re really into making sure the pictures look perfect.” 

The people may come to snap the photo, but they stay because the desserts are insanely delicious. Sydney has been baking since she was 9 years old, when she started a little business of her own called Sydney’s Cakes. After culinary school and working as a decorator in a few bakeries, she wanted to start something of her own again. That’s when she bought the truck and, with the help of her brother-in-law, converted it into a dessert truck. Her sister jumped on board and now the two share all responsibilities, including baking. 

Some of the duos’ creations. (Credit: Felicia Lalomia)

But they don’t just rely on each other for baking ideas; they also listen to their online followers. “A lot of our stuff comes from people suggesting something,” Sydney said. One follower who frequently messages them with new ideas suggested combining the flavors of apple pie with their popular cinnamon bun after he had a dream about it. So they tried it out, and it made it to the menu. 

The cheesecake-stuffed banana bread brownie and snickerdoodle cookie dough cone also were influenced by fans. The first came from someone suggesting a new take on the brookie (a layered brownie-cookie) with banana bread instead of a chocolate chip cookie. When they turned out a little too thin, Sydney took some leftover cheesecake filling and made the whole thing into a sandwich. The sisters often turn to their Instagram followers to decide between two flavors for the cookie dough cones, the snickerdoodle cookie dough flavor being one winner. 

The dessert truck also sells more traditional bakery items like rainbow cookies, double chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes. And a new addition is one close to Sam’s heart, and stomach. “I’m vegan,” she said. “So I can’t eat anything that we sell, but these I’ve been working on over the winter and I love them.” In her hands, she had an ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie. She splits it in half, revealing a melty inside filled with chocolate just screaming for its photo to be taken. (Don’t worry, it’s already on their feed.) Like all their menu items, the flavor was fantastic — nutty and sweet, a perfect chocolate chip cookie on all accounts. It’s hard to believe that it’s vegan and gluten-free. In fact, the truck offers vegan and GF versions of several its treats if you give them a head’s up.

The sisters’ collaborative approach to creating recipes turned out to be a little addictive, and before our conversation ended I decided to get in on the act. What could we make together, I asked them, for an issue that celebrates creativity and tastes like August on the North Fork? It should be something unfussy (like us) but fun (like them) and full of summer fruit evoking a local farm stand.

The Squatrito sisters had just the thing. They started with vanilla cinnamon cake, filled it with a peach compote and topped it with fresh cream and a crunchy crumb coating. The result is that essential summer dessert, a peach cobbler, but in cupcake form. Look for it this month at the truck, and tell them Northforker sent you. 

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