This ice cream store owner is garnering national attention for his pop-culture influenced desserts in New York City.
Michael “Mikey” Cole owns the popular New York City franchise, Mikey Likes It Ice Cream, which has popular storefronts in the Lower East Side and Harlem. Described as "the world's first pop culture inspired premium ice cream brand," there's no question as to why locals and tourists flock to the store in droves.
Cole, 38, sells ice cream named after cultural icons and moments like "Ice Ice, Baby," "Foxy Brown," "Mint Condition," "Smooth Operator" and "Southern Hospitality." However, his “Mac Daddy” and “Daddy Mac” ice cream sandwiches are his most popular.
The New York native recently shared with Black Business that he began experimenting with ice cream years ago. Following the passing of his Aunt Lucy, he began experimenting recipes of hers. However, it was the loss of his mother that prompted him to take his passion to the next level.
"A few years ago, my mother got sick," Cole said. "I promised to her that I wouldn't be locked up anymore and do the wrong things. Ice cream was something that just came into my life at a time when I didn't really know what I was doing."
Prior to dedicating his life to his craft, he spent a six-month stint behind bars for possession of marijuana. The experience made it difficult for him to secure a job afterward.
He decided to take his destiny into his own hands and started selling original ice cream flavors in a pushcart. He gained attention from his neighborhood which eventually began to spread further.
In 2012, The New York Post reports he entered a Defy Ventures contest, an initiative that assists persons with prior felony convictions to jumpstart their career as entrepreneurs. After a challenge that resulted in the taste-maker meeting and creating a new flavor specifically for Jay-Z, the "D'Usse de Leche" savor. He went from being recognized by the hip-hop mogul and having his flavors available at the 40/40 Club to selling his flavors in several W Hotels in the Big Apple.
In addition, Defy Ventures decided to partner with him and assisted in providing a percentage of the funds needed to open his first location. Soon after, he was forced to partner with another, Dairyland Ice Cream in New Jersey, to meet the demand for his product.
Still, it's the store owner's warm welcome and unique talents that has catapulted it to the success it is today. The atmosphere is full of character, personality and pictures of celebrity fans and pop culture icons.
“When you come into my shop, I want you to be in a place where you can have fun again,” he said. “When you’re here, I want you to feel good about life.”
"A bunch of famous people have come by here," Cole told Great Big Story. "Future's a fan, NBA star Joakim Noah and Hillary Clinton's a fan," he said, naming only a few. With a quick Instagram scroll, you'll notice the shop is frequented by many hip-hop figures, from Jim Jones to Kehlani and Rico Nasty.
The ice cream maker, who says he still lives nearby his store which is located near his childhood home, also encourages a sense of neighboring camaraderie.
"Part of our job is to still be heavily in the community, so if kids come in here with an A on their report card, we give them a free scoop of ice cream. It's to show them that we are the same as them. So, I'm just a little bit older but I'm still the same child at heart and if you can find something that you're passionate about… go for every last one that you have."
Watch America's rising ice cream king below.
