The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck

On any given summer day, among masses of park dwellers, awed tourists and eager shoppers, Doug Quint can be seen handing specialty ice creams and frozen desserts to customers lined outside of his Big Gay Ice Cream Truck—your typical boxy white vehicle dressed with a rainbow flagged soft serve cone. What makes the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck special? Owner Dug Quint and boyfriend Bryan Petroff have turned the traditional soft serve cone into a rolling frozen treat factory–all with a gay twist. I asked Doug about the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck's conception, where they will serve next, and the big deal with chilled bacon.

Ramon: When was the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck's first run?

Doug Quint: Our first day out was a big one- Brooklyn Gay Pride, on June 13 2009. I began working on the whole concept in January. Bryan Petroff, my boyfriend and menu-planner for the truck, and I had a test kitchen in May to try out some ideas. We tried to work out as many kinks as possible ahead of time, and then we hit the street.

Where did the concept of a gay ice cream truck come from?

My friend and fellow musician Andrea Fisher has been driving an ice cream truck for a few summers. At the beginning of this year she told me that she would be able to hook me up with a truck. The timing was right. I just finished my comprehensive exams at the CUNY (City University of New York) Graduate Center, where I’m a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. in addition to school I’ve been commuting between Boston and New York City constantly for the last few years (I’m a classical bassoonist, and I do gigs in both towns). I was eager to base myself in NYC for a few months, and a summer job seemed like a fun idea.

I knew that I wanted to have an interesting topping menu, so that aspect of the truck’s nature came first. I joked with my brother Steve and with Bryan about the suspect nature of a middle-aged gay guy driving an ice cream truck, and we laughed about the things people might say. So I decided that instead of people whispering about “that guy and his big gay ice cream truck” I would take the opportunity away from people. I’d plaster a big sign on the truck and announce GAY GUY INSIDE!

What's the BGICT's signature dessert?

There are a few things that people keep coming back for. One is an ice cream sandwich that I make with a layer of Nutella inside. Another is our curried coconut topping. The true signature dish, though, is the Choinkwich: a chocolate ice cream sandwich with a layer of caramelized bacon inside. It’s so popular that I don’t put it on the posted menu. I let Twitter followers know if I have bacon with me—that’s the only way I publicize it. Otherwise Bryan would never be able to keep up with preparing enough bacon!

You've attracted quite a local following in such a short amount of time. Do you have any expansion plans?

I don’t have concrete plans, but I am thinking about expansion. For sure. This has all been quite a crash course in business and marketing 101. Remember that I’m a classical musician; I have neither food nor business experience. Suddenly I’m marketing a brand, dealing with copyright and incorporation, and in addition to keeping up music work. I’m pulling 12 hour shifts on the truck. It's very exciting for me, but the learning curve has been steep! Once things have settled a bit we will move the company further along. I love the idea of either doing the truck myself in different cities (San Francisco and Provincetown are natural choices) but I have been asked about franchising. There are also some other foods I’d like to explore. I have many ideas, but it's important to me that the foundation is solid.

Follow Doug Quint's Big Gay Ice Cream Truck around New York City all summer. Quint tweets his location and menu every morning.