Susie Pearson of Sunshine Sammies
The gal behind North Carolina's only solar-powered ice-cream sandwich cart
Asheville, North Carolina
Introducing, Susie Pearson and Sunshine Sammies!
I'm so excited to share this new find and friend with you, yet I regret to inform you that she and her cart reside in Asheville, NC. (The regret of course is only that she isn't here in the Queen City, but alas, someone will pick her up and carry her down the mountain at some point...I hope!)
With all that being said, enjoy! And the next time you're in Asheville, track down her cart by following her on facebook. :)
I'm so excited to share this new find and friend with you, yet I regret to inform you that she and her cart reside in Asheville, NC. (The regret of course is only that she isn't here in the Queen City, but alas, someone will pick her up and carry her down the mountain at some point...I hope!)
With all that being said, enjoy! And the next time you're in Asheville, track down her cart by following her on facebook. :)
Tell me a little bit about your life before Sunshine Sammies.
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA but have lived in Asheville for about 8 years. I graduated from UNCA with a degree in anthropology (not quite using that, hehe). I have worked all kinds of jobs- waiting tables, bakeries, hotels, salons, sales, food production, wow…I’ve been busy! I have travelled to West Africa and now teach West African dance classes here in Asheville, too.
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwhiches, huh? How did you come up with such a great idea?
I cannot for the life of me remember exactly how I decided to do ice cream sandwiches! I started out trying to make different vegan ice creams (I am not vegan) and traditional dairy ice creams using ingredients like bananas to make them naturally sweet. Somewhere along the line I decided that ice cream sandwiches would be great…and here I am! I decided to source the ice cream from a local ice cream producer, Ultimate Ice Cream, instead of making my own, which I am extremely grateful for now that I am up and running!
Where and how do you select your ingredients?
I decided to use Ultimate Ice Cream initially because they make amazing ice cream, and also because they source a lot of local ingredients, and support local businesses and charities. What I now know is that they are also the most incredibly sweet and supportive family. They have been so welcoming to me, you can taste the love in their ice cream!
For the cookies, I use natural, whole ingredients, and am currently looking at some local options for flour and butter. The more my business grows, the more I will be able to source locally at affordable prices.
You must be up to your ears in Sammies. Do you ever get enough?
Never! I love coming up with new combinations and recipes. I don’t eat them every day, but I definitely eat my share! I call it “quality control” rather than a lack of self-control.
What has been your funniest customer moment so far?
People are actually super sweet. A lot of times they will buy a sammie, and then stand at the cart with me talking to (or yelling!) at people as they walk by to convince them to buy one, too. It’s really awesome that people so quickly are in my court and want to see me succeed. More than anything, though, I just have a front row seat for people watching in this kooky town. A guy dressed as a nun on a bicycle, normal Friday night…a man with a 5-foot snake wrapped around his shoulders, Sunday afternoon. I love Asheville.
Thank you for offering Vegan Sammies! What other lifestyle diets do you cater to? (Currently, or eventually?)
I also do some gluten free options. A woman asked me the other day if I had any low fat sammies…I don’t think that will really ever be on the menu!
I know you bake the "bread" for the Sammies...what else do you like to bake?
I love baking pies. Strawberry Rhubarb, Sweet Potato…they are just so pretty!
Do you nerd out about other food-related things like I do? If so, what?
I love kitchen gadgets and glassware. Some day, I will own a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles…a girl can dream. I also love combing through baking and cooking blogs to get ideas and inspiration. Oh yeah, and Bon Appetit!
Unlike Charlotte, Asheville actually gets a snowy Winter. Will Sunshine Sammies still be on the street?
Brrrr! Nope, don’t think so. While there are probably some die hard ice cream sandwich fans who would brave the winter to get one, I think that they are probably few and far between. Plus, that would mean I would have to stand out there! Asheville’s weather is crazy, you can get a 70 degree day in January and a 50 degree day in August. I have never paid such close attention to the weather as I do these days. This summer, I’ve used my umbrella a lot at the cart! I imagine that my selling season will be from April – October.
Okay, I know Sunshine Sammies is brand new, but what do you daydream about happening next?!
Another cart! I would love to have a second cart for next summer, so that I can always have one downtown, and one that can travel to festivals, catering events, etc. My boyfriend built my cart by hand, so I guess I better start bribing him with sammies for another one!
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA but have lived in Asheville for about 8 years. I graduated from UNCA with a degree in anthropology (not quite using that, hehe). I have worked all kinds of jobs- waiting tables, bakeries, hotels, salons, sales, food production, wow…I’ve been busy! I have travelled to West Africa and now teach West African dance classes here in Asheville, too.
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwhiches, huh? How did you come up with such a great idea?
I cannot for the life of me remember exactly how I decided to do ice cream sandwiches! I started out trying to make different vegan ice creams (I am not vegan) and traditional dairy ice creams using ingredients like bananas to make them naturally sweet. Somewhere along the line I decided that ice cream sandwiches would be great…and here I am! I decided to source the ice cream from a local ice cream producer, Ultimate Ice Cream, instead of making my own, which I am extremely grateful for now that I am up and running!
Where and how do you select your ingredients?
I decided to use Ultimate Ice Cream initially because they make amazing ice cream, and also because they source a lot of local ingredients, and support local businesses and charities. What I now know is that they are also the most incredibly sweet and supportive family. They have been so welcoming to me, you can taste the love in their ice cream!
For the cookies, I use natural, whole ingredients, and am currently looking at some local options for flour and butter. The more my business grows, the more I will be able to source locally at affordable prices.
You must be up to your ears in Sammies. Do you ever get enough?
Never! I love coming up with new combinations and recipes. I don’t eat them every day, but I definitely eat my share! I call it “quality control” rather than a lack of self-control.
What has been your funniest customer moment so far?
People are actually super sweet. A lot of times they will buy a sammie, and then stand at the cart with me talking to (or yelling!) at people as they walk by to convince them to buy one, too. It’s really awesome that people so quickly are in my court and want to see me succeed. More than anything, though, I just have a front row seat for people watching in this kooky town. A guy dressed as a nun on a bicycle, normal Friday night…a man with a 5-foot snake wrapped around his shoulders, Sunday afternoon. I love Asheville.
Thank you for offering Vegan Sammies! What other lifestyle diets do you cater to? (Currently, or eventually?)
I also do some gluten free options. A woman asked me the other day if I had any low fat sammies…I don’t think that will really ever be on the menu!
I know you bake the "bread" for the Sammies...what else do you like to bake?
I love baking pies. Strawberry Rhubarb, Sweet Potato…they are just so pretty!
Do you nerd out about other food-related things like I do? If so, what?
I love kitchen gadgets and glassware. Some day, I will own a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles…a girl can dream. I also love combing through baking and cooking blogs to get ideas and inspiration. Oh yeah, and Bon Appetit!
Unlike Charlotte, Asheville actually gets a snowy Winter. Will Sunshine Sammies still be on the street?
Brrrr! Nope, don’t think so. While there are probably some die hard ice cream sandwich fans who would brave the winter to get one, I think that they are probably few and far between. Plus, that would mean I would have to stand out there! Asheville’s weather is crazy, you can get a 70 degree day in January and a 50 degree day in August. I have never paid such close attention to the weather as I do these days. This summer, I’ve used my umbrella a lot at the cart! I imagine that my selling season will be from April – October.
Okay, I know Sunshine Sammies is brand new, but what do you daydream about happening next?!
Another cart! I would love to have a second cart for next summer, so that I can always have one downtown, and one that can travel to festivals, catering events, etc. My boyfriend built my cart by hand, so I guess I better start bribing him with sammies for another one!