Snowflake's ice cream tribute to Teddy Charles
The late Teddy Charles, left, plays vibraphone with Max Feldschuh. Credit: Handout
Stu Feldschuh, proprietor of the venerable Riverhead ice-cream shop Snowflake, has a knack for making over-the-top ice cream flavors with catchy names (exhibit A: Peconic Swamp Thing). But his latest creation, Dulce di Kvetche, is more than just a playful Yiddish take on the caramel-rich, Latino-influenced dulce de leche.
The “cranky caramel ice cream with caramel weave and chocolate covered caramels” is a tribute to Teddy Charles, the great vibraphone player who died on April 16 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead at age 84. (Read an obituary here.) Charles, a pioneering jazz artist and, later, a commercial tall-ship captain, had lived on the North Fork for decades.
Feldschuh came to know Charles over the last 10 years though his son, Max Feldschuh, an aspiring vibraphone player who studied with the master for many years and frequently played with him.
“Teddy was a great guy and a great scoundrel,” Feldschuh said. “Everyone who loved him knew what a perfectionist he could be.”
Dulce di Kvetche — sweet and cranky — struck Feldschuh as an apt tribute. He'll be serving the special flavor as long as this batch lasts, probably through the weekend.
