The Deli #1: Meet the Brooklyn Duo Making Ice Cream In Their Apartment
In Paris, where I grew up, artisanal food makers are as valued as chefs. People cross the river to find the ultimate pâté en croûte, impatiently wait for the yearly Best Baguette Award, and trade insider tips under the table seeking the crème de la crème.
It was never like that in New York, but, in the last 12 months, the quest for exciting at-home dining experiences has boomed. Artisanal food makers have become the talk of the town and their creativity is unbound. There are people making sourdough bread, chili crisp oil, tamales and more. Their products, discovered through whispers or lucky scrolling, bring us stories, comfort, and connectedness in a time that has been so without.
The Deli is an ode to them. In each issue, we will highlight one of New York’s most interesting food makers. This first newsletter spotlights Jesse Merchant and Javier Zuniga, a couple who brought their years of experience working in New York’s restaurant world to launch Bad Habit, an ice cream brand conceived in their Brooklyn apartment. Going forward, you can count on The Deli’s partner-in-crime and official photographer, Teddy Wolff, my team at Polonsky & Friends (hi Claire, Fuad, Erik!) and our connoisseur friends to highlight more innovative creators. Bon appétit!
Javier: We’re making the ice cream that we would want if we were at an ice cream shop. It’s what we want to eat, and the flavors we want to have - something sexy, a bit sophisticated, but familiar enough to make us smile.
Jesse: We met when I started working at Wildair in early 2019, it was my second line cook job. Javi had been working at Contra for like 5 years at that point, as the Pastry Sous Chef. We never spoke, and then one day we just hung out. We stayed up for like six hours talking about art. And now we’re getting married in two weeks, we have a puppy and we are moving to California!
Javier: Our favorite way to wind down after a long service was always sharing a pint of ice cream straight out of the container. One night we started talking about how fun it would be if one day we started making ice cream at home and not just at work. Thirty minutes later, we had a name, a logo, and a concept.
Jesse: We’ve never done this before, so we’re learning as we go. Transitioning from professional kitchens to a small New York home kitchen was... a bit of a challenge!
Javier: On that note, finding the time and space to just be at home and spend quality time together has been really challenging, now that we work here. However, to finally have something that's our own is incredibly rewarding. It’s something that we’re proud of; selling out on our first day, hearing customers saying that our Banana ice cream tastes how they wish bananas tasted, or comments on how smooth the texture is... The all-nighters, the R&D, the ideas that didn’t make the cut - it makes it all worth it.
Jesse: We’re straight-out-of-the-pint people. There’s no better way. We always tell customers to keep it in the freezer but take it out like 10 minutes before you’re going to eat it.
Javier: And if you can’t wait, a couple of seconds in the microwave will do the job. I like ice cream that’s on the runny side but that’s a personal preference. Jesse makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever, so I always put some ice cream on there when they are fresh out of the oven.
Jesse: Our Roasted Banana with Coffee Caramel didn’t even make it to day two! Right after that is the Vanilla with Cara Cara. Both are coming off the menu soon, but we just put out a Maple, which people are freaking out about. We do recommend trying some of our single profile flavors too, like the Hazelnut, as they are the best examples of the thought that went into formulating the base, the core of our product.
Jesse: In cities like New York, there are so many restrictions, with money, time, space. It’s really special to see what has come out of that, from all of the creatives in New York doing new products and new projects. And it’s been inspiring to see how restaurants with a physical space have pivoted throughout all of this.
Javier: Restaurants like Reverie [in Washington DC]. Chef Johnny Spero is killing it. He has the most amazing place, and now he’s slinging pies and doing it with the same soul as before, which I think is the most important part of it all. To be able to pivot from your original idea but still maintain your essence.
Javi: My friends at Venezuelan Pantone put out some serious food that takes me back home every time.
Jesse: Alix Baker, whom I met working at Lilia, is selling homemade Chili Crisp out of her Brooklyn apartment and lately we’ve been cooking with it all the time.