NEW YORK—Deliciously baked waffles, with the quirky toppings and friendly service to go with them, truly is a winning formula for New Yorkers in need of something to satisfy their sweet tooth craving.
In celebration of National Waffle Day, the curiously named “Wafels and Dinges” waffle truck held a pageant of its own on Tuesday to search for New York’s biggest waffle fan (whom they call wafelettes and wafeleurs). The 2010 Mister and Miss Wafel would win a year of free waffles from the much-loved waffle maker.
Wafels and Dinges, which is Dutch for “waffles and stuff” (with the “stuff” referring to its alluring toppings), was founded by Belgian Thomas DeGeest. After years of working at his monotonous corporate job, he decided to switch gears and establish his food truck to bring authentic Belgian waffles to the streets of New York.
This year, DeGeest launched the inaugural “Mister and Miss Wafel” pageant amid National Waffle Day festivities. He plans to make this an annual tradition. “We’re sort of the epicenter of waffle activity in New York…we’re planning to have a big eruption every August 24.”
National Waffle Day was established to celebrate the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for the waffle iron, in 1869. This is different from the International Waffle Day, which takes place on March 25 and traces its origins to Sweden.
Belgian waffles, which are rectangular in shape and sweeter, thicker, and crisper than the American variety, were first introduced to the nation at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
Today, DeGeest uses authentic recipes and fun toppings to carry on the sugar-sweet tradition in New York. But what exactly makes their waffles so good that hard-core fans will follow them on Twitter (where they give timely updates on their activities) and track down their bright-yellow food truck?
“We put a lot of love in our waffles, and we have Belgium passports, that helps. But mainly, it’s a very simple recipe. Most of our waffles are yeast-based.” Typically, waffles are made from a batter of baking powder.
“We use simple, authentic Belgian recipes and we know how to execute them very well. And we use the right equipment to bake them…Our waffle-makers are all gas-powered. They have a lot more power than electrical waffle-makers, and it gives for a much nicer result.”
Among their many toppings, the “spekuloos” spread is a popular choice. DeGeest explains that spekuloos is a fairly new product that arrived on the scene in Belgium three years ago after a reality show prompted a Belgian housewife to come up with a spread made from ground spekuloos cookies (gingerbread cookies). The spread is made by grinding the cookies, then adding spices and vegetable oils.
“It’s like liquid crack. It’s very dangerous,” DeGeest said of the addictively tasty sauce, which has the consistency of Nutella but spreads like peanut butter.
On Tuesday, Wafels and Dinges offered a free waffle to anyone who submitted a drawing of their truck, luring a long line of hungry customers.
“They’re going to be melt-in-your-mouth-delicious!” said Christine MacMillan, a director at the Salvation Army located a block away from the truck’s East 52nd Street and Third Avenue spot. She and her co-workers are trying the waffles for the first time after reading about them in the papers.
Christina Dupre and Delphine Amato, who work in a building across the street from the truck, admitted happily that they were “huge fans of the waffle truck.” Dupre explains that during downtime hours at the office, someone will go downstairs and get orders of waffles from the truck. Today, after reading about the special offer on an online blog, “I passed an email on to my co-workers and then they jumped in. Because who can resist a free waffle?” Her favorite item on the menu is the spekuloos spread with the liége wafel, a waffle variety from the Belgian city of Liége that is chewy and made with pearl sugar.
Amato said, “They’re awesome waffles. I’ve been to Brussels, and these are as good as what I’ve had [there].”
The title of Mister and Miss Wafel was not so easy to obtain. Interested participants first signed up beforehand through Wafel and Dinges’ blog, Facebook, and Twitter account. Then, they showed up on Tuesday for the contest, fielding questions like why they make a good Mister or Miss Wafel, what is the name of the Belgian who won the Tour de France five times (Eddy Merckx) , and also completing a one-minute challenge to “dress up a waffle and make it as pretty as possible” with required ingredients.
Contestant Jonathan Leiter from Staten Island said he is a big waffle fan who owns three waffle irons at home. He discovered DeGeest’s truck a year ago when they were parked in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn. “I noticed a long line of people in front of it, and I was curious…I saw that they were waffles and I said, oh, I must get one! I took my last 5 dollars out of my pocket and bought one, and it’s been love at first bite.”
To prepare, he made a couple of practice waffles at home and ate a light breakfast in case there was an eating component. Not knowing what to expect, he “came with an open mind and anxious heart.” His favorite is the classic Belgian waffle (called Brussels waffel) with Nutella, dulce de leche, and whipped cream toppings.
Miss Wafel contestant Elyse Kantrowitz studied up on Belgium trivia the night before. Clad with an “I Love Wafels” t-shirt, when asked what makes DeGeest’s waffles so special, she replied, “You’ll just have to try it for yourself.”
Leiter ended up with the most points, earning the Mister Wafel title. Jasmin Hashi from Brooklyn was the female winner.
In celebration of National Waffle Day, the curiously named “Wafels and Dinges” waffle truck held a pageant of its own on Tuesday to search for New York’s biggest waffle fan (whom they call wafelettes and wafeleurs). The 2010 Mister and Miss Wafel would win a year of free waffles from the much-loved waffle maker.
Wafels and Dinges, which is Dutch for “waffles and stuff” (with the “stuff” referring to its alluring toppings), was founded by Belgian Thomas DeGeest. After years of working at his monotonous corporate job, he decided to switch gears and establish his food truck to bring authentic Belgian waffles to the streets of New York.
This year, DeGeest launched the inaugural “Mister and Miss Wafel” pageant amid National Waffle Day festivities. He plans to make this an annual tradition. “We’re sort of the epicenter of waffle activity in New York…we’re planning to have a big eruption every August 24.”
National Waffle Day was established to celebrate the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for the waffle iron, in 1869. This is different from the International Waffle Day, which takes place on March 25 and traces its origins to Sweden.
Belgian waffles, which are rectangular in shape and sweeter, thicker, and crisper than the American variety, were first introduced to the nation at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
Today, DeGeest uses authentic recipes and fun toppings to carry on the sugar-sweet tradition in New York. But what exactly makes their waffles so good that hard-core fans will follow them on Twitter (where they give timely updates on their activities) and track down their bright-yellow food truck?
“We put a lot of love in our waffles, and we have Belgium passports, that helps. But mainly, it’s a very simple recipe. Most of our waffles are yeast-based.” Typically, waffles are made from a batter of baking powder.
“We use simple, authentic Belgian recipes and we know how to execute them very well. And we use the right equipment to bake them…Our waffle-makers are all gas-powered. They have a lot more power than electrical waffle-makers, and it gives for a much nicer result.”
Among their many toppings, the “spekuloos” spread is a popular choice. DeGeest explains that spekuloos is a fairly new product that arrived on the scene in Belgium three years ago after a reality show prompted a Belgian housewife to come up with a spread made from ground spekuloos cookies (gingerbread cookies). The spread is made by grinding the cookies, then adding spices and vegetable oils.
“It’s like liquid crack. It’s very dangerous,” DeGeest said of the addictively tasty sauce, which has the consistency of Nutella but spreads like peanut butter.
On Tuesday, Wafels and Dinges offered a free waffle to anyone who submitted a drawing of their truck, luring a long line of hungry customers.
“They’re going to be melt-in-your-mouth-delicious!” said Christine MacMillan, a director at the Salvation Army located a block away from the truck’s East 52nd Street and Third Avenue spot. She and her co-workers are trying the waffles for the first time after reading about them in the papers.
Christina Dupre and Delphine Amato, who work in a building across the street from the truck, admitted happily that they were “huge fans of the waffle truck.” Dupre explains that during downtime hours at the office, someone will go downstairs and get orders of waffles from the truck. Today, after reading about the special offer on an online blog, “I passed an email on to my co-workers and then they jumped in. Because who can resist a free waffle?” Her favorite item on the menu is the spekuloos spread with the liége wafel, a waffle variety from the Belgian city of Liége that is chewy and made with pearl sugar.
Amato said, “They’re awesome waffles. I’ve been to Brussels, and these are as good as what I’ve had [there].”
The title of Mister and Miss Wafel was not so easy to obtain. Interested participants first signed up beforehand through Wafel and Dinges’ blog, Facebook, and Twitter account. Then, they showed up on Tuesday for the contest, fielding questions like why they make a good Mister or Miss Wafel, what is the name of the Belgian who won the Tour de France five times (Eddy Merckx) , and also completing a one-minute challenge to “dress up a waffle and make it as pretty as possible” with required ingredients.
Contestant Jonathan Leiter from Staten Island said he is a big waffle fan who owns three waffle irons at home. He discovered DeGeest’s truck a year ago when they were parked in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn. “I noticed a long line of people in front of it, and I was curious…I saw that they were waffles and I said, oh, I must get one! I took my last 5 dollars out of my pocket and bought one, and it’s been love at first bite.”
To prepare, he made a couple of practice waffles at home and ate a light breakfast in case there was an eating component. Not knowing what to expect, he “came with an open mind and anxious heart.” His favorite is the classic Belgian waffle (called Brussels waffel) with Nutella, dulce de leche, and whipped cream toppings.
Miss Wafel contestant Elyse Kantrowitz studied up on Belgium trivia the night before. Clad with an “I Love Wafels” t-shirt, when asked what makes DeGeest’s waffles so special, she replied, “You’ll just have to try it for yourself.”
Leiter ended up with the most points, earning the Mister Wafel title. Jasmin Hashi from Brooklyn was the female winner.
