66 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • OCTOBER 5, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
This Sunnyside resident creates unique
ice cream fl avors that are made to order
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Tavia Kowalchuk really likes ice cream.
Th e 18-year Sunnyside resident started
reading about how to make a perfect batch
of the frozen concoction 10 years ago as
a way to cut costs. She found out that it
wasn’t much cheaper to make her own ice
cream, but it was more fun.
Kowalchuk, who works as a book marketer,
founded Bliss Street Creamery in
March and began selling her batches at
food markets like Queens Night Market
and at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long
Island City and Sunnyside Gardens Park.
“It’s something that lived in my imagination
for a long time but fi nally came to
the public this summer,” she said. “I was
making ice cream as a sort of passion project
at home and I’d share it with friends
and family.”
Kowalchuk uses local and organic ingredients
to makes her small-batch, handcraft
ed ice cream at a shared commercial
kitchen. Bliss Street Creamery’s most popular
fl avor, Pink Peppercorn, is a roasted
and pureed strawberry base with ground
pink peppercorn for a “fruity and crunchy”
taste.
Th e Blueberry Buff alo, a blueberry
puree, is made with a special ingredient
Kowalchuk purchases at the Sunnyside
Green Market. Buff alo milk ricotta cheese
from the Riverine Ranch in New Jersey
produces a fl avor that she describes as “a
cheese plate aft er fancy dinner but sweeter.”
“I’m using the freshest ingredients, I’m
turning over the product quickly and I’m
really taking advantage of seasonal ingredients
that are ripe in the moment,” she said.
In addition to her pints, which cost $12
and can be purchased through her website,
Kowalchuk also makes custom fl avor
ice creams. For her parents’ 50th wedding
anniversary, she created a marzipan bitter
chocolate swirl ice cream that was also
popular at the Queens Night Market.
“Th e response has been positive,”
she said. “People that meet me at events
have overwhelmingly said we need an ice
cream shop in Sunnyside and they’ve really
enjoyed what they ordered.”
Eventually, Kowalchuk wants to open a
shop in Sunnyside where she is “looking
to make a lot of fl avors that are inspired by
the people who live in my neighborhood.”
She’d like to partner with local coff ee
roasters, brewers or bakers to incorporate
their “signature products” into her
ice cream. Kowalchuk has already started
looking for a storefront and would like to
be based in Sunnyside.
“I want to be a Queens brand and I really
would love to serve the Sunnyside community,”
she said. “Th is community has given
so much to me and I would like to give in a
Photo by Julie Blattberg bigger way by having this ice cream shop.”
Sunnyside resident Tavia Kowalchuk makes handmade ice cream that can be custom made for special events.