Artisan Ice Cream on Wheels

Move over Mr. Softie… next time you’re in New York City, keep an eye out for the newest ice cream trucks from Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. Having had experience driving a Good Humor ice cream truck during college, recent grad Ben Van Leeuwen now offers ice cream connoisseurs ten flavors of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, all-natural ice cream with an environmental bent. Made with egg yolks, sugar cane, hormone-free milk and sweet cream from a farm in upstate New York, as well as imported ingredients, such as organic Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans from Papua New Guinea, and pistachio nuts from Sicily, the ice cream is scooped into cones or served in biodegradable bowls made from sugar cane and spoons made from corn. Toppings are high end too: Homemade fudge made from Michel Cluizel chocolate and all-natural root beer floats. Cones start at $3.50; sundaes start at $6.50. The trucks are located downtown, near Wall Street on Beaver and Broadway during the day, on the Lower East Side in the evenings and on the Upper West Side during the day and evenings. Check out vanleeuwenicecream.com for more information. -Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.