Fashion

Ice Cream Guys

(And a Couple of Girls)

By Rocco Castoro; Photos: Chris Shonting; Styling: Annette Lamothe-Ramos

Special thanks to Bess (292 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012; 212-219-9723)

Kool Man has been the number-one ice-cream king in Brooklyn since 1935. We talked to a few of his drivers to see what it’s like to be every child’s hero.


Surface to Air blouse, American Apparel shorts, Tom Binns bracelets and rings, In4mation shirt, vintage Lee jacket from Bess, Industry pants, 80%20 shoes
Heavy Rotation t-shirt, Ezekiel skirt, Disaya sweater		PABLO Vice: How long have you been an ice-cream-truck driver? Pablo: About ten years. Are the kids ever annoying? No, they’re my best customers so I can’t say anything bad even if I wanted to. What’s the biggest seller? Soft ice cream and Icees. The SpongeBob pops are popular with the little ones. Do you eat the ice cream you sell? Yeah. The banana boat is my favorite—the big one. I usually eat at least one a day. But I’m not fat because I don’t eat much other food while I’m working. Are all ice cream trucks created equal? No. Mine’s a classic—it’s from ’61. People ask if it’s for sale all the time. What do you do during the winter?
I’m from the Dominican Republic so I usually go there and find some work, but sometimes I’ll come back to Brooklyn early to work on the truck and make sure everything is in order. Have you ever fought with another driver over a route? Oh yeah. They’ll come up to the truck and say, “Hey Papo, you can’t work around here.” I tell them, “This is America and I can work wherever I want.” Once this one guy from this other company—Mr. Cone—said, “You want to fight?” So I stepped out and punched him. He never bothered me again. Do you ever have girls asking for free ice cream? All the time. Sometimes I’ll give free ice cream to a girl and say, “You look niiiceee.” What if she’s ugly? Do you still give her a freebie? No.

ICE CREAM MAN 2 >

< ICE CREAM MAN 1


Eskell blouse, Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons necklace
H&M dress, Tommy Hilfiger vest, Converse shoes, Tom Binns bracelets		HENRY Vice: How long have you been a driver? Henry: Two or three months. I’m new. Where are you from? I’m Dominican. A lot of people who work here are from the Dominican Republic. What’s the most popular ice cream? Vanilla soft serve sells the most for everybody. We go through so much of it every day. I hardly ever eat ice cream but when I do it’s vanilla. Do you like your customers? Hell yeah. I like the kids the most. I have two of my own so I know how to treat them. What did you do before this? I worked in a factory. I still do during the winter. But I like doing this a lot better because I get to enjoy the nice weather and see all the people outside instead of being cooped up in a hot warehouse.
Is it true that ice-cream men sell weed and other stuff out of their trucks? I don’t know, maybe. You know how Dominicans are. Everyone wants to get money. But not in my case. What’s your personal sales record? I made about 700 bucks one Sunday. Some people make a lot more, but I’m new. The secret is getting to places before everyone else. If you beat all the other drivers to the park you’ll make a bunch of money. Ever have to duke it out with someone over a route? Nah, I’m not like that. If I see someone in my place I just drive around and find another. Do you ever give away ice cream for free? One time I gave a girl one because she told me, “Today is my birthday!” I’m not sure it was, but what can you do?

ICE CREAM MAN 3 >

< ICE CREAM MAN 2


Betsey Johnson bra and watch, Harley Davidson tank top, Ezekiel shorts, Dr. Martens boots, Tom Binns bracelets and rings
Keep jacket, Adidas tank top, 55 DSL shorts, Yohji Yamamoto for Dr. Martens boots, Delphine-Charlotte Parmentier bracelet		RUBEN Vice: How long have you been hawking the sweet cream? Ruben: Nine years. For the last five I’ve worked in Crown Heights. Has that song the trucks play driven its way so deep into your psyche that you just can’t take silence anymore? It’s hard to shake. I hear it in my sleep sometimes. Do you ever get the urge to just slam on the brakes and throw it in reverse when kids are chasing the truck? Nah. I have five kids of my own so I understand how excited they get. Sometimes I’ll let them ride along. Every single day they ask me to bring home ice cream after work. But you can’t spoil them. How often do people ask for a free cone? All the time. But I don’t give it away. I can’t because I’d lose too much money. I would if I could though, especially to the pretty girls. How do you like your truck? I’m lucky because I was able to buy my own. Most people use the company’s trucks and have to pay them
money. I work as a mechanic during the winter so I make sure it’s always in good shape. She’s my baby. What happens when it rains? It’s the only time I don’t work. Otherwise I work every single day up until October. What do you think about the guys with the pushcarts who sell ice cream? Are they like a lower caste of ice-cream peddler? They definitely poach our territory, but there’s not much we can do about it. They have to make money too, and they sell it cheaper than us. But our ice cream is better. They have that slushy ice stuff with the spoon. What’s your favorite flavor? Rum raisin. Cookies and cream is good, too.

ICE CREAM MAN 1 >

By Rocco Castoro; Photos: Chris Shonting; Styling: Annette Lamothe-Ramos 3 years ago More from this issue Like · Comment · Share Tags: fashion, photos, style, ice cream, New York, interviews, ice cream van, man