Sunday News: Extraordinary flavors power Ernie's Pop Shop lineup

Pawpaws for sale in Eden, Raise the Roots and Pepper Palooza coming up

You could say Rebeca Fong-Reynolds has ice cream in her genes.

“My whole life, my dad Ernesto has been obsessed with ice cream,” she said. “My mom comes from Alausi, the second most famous town in Ecuador for helados, ice cream popsicles.”

Ernie’s Pop Shop, her frozen treat business, offers Buffalo extraordinary flavor experiences on a stick.

Apricot and blueberry pops that actually taste like fresh fruit. Cucumber and lime refreshers. Adventurous, offbeat flavors like holy basil, sugar snap pea, and Ernie’s newest invention, pickled watermelon rind pops.

Find them at Farm Shop, Alice Ever After Books, Farmers and Artisans, Massachusetts Avenue Project, Snyder General, and Darwin Martin House. Ernie’s is also at Elmwood Village Farmers Market through October, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday at 27 Chandler St. Ernie’s Pops are $4, or four for $15.

Rebeca Fong-Reynolds was born in New Jersey, Taylor Reynolds in Mayville. They met in New York City, where she had earned her Actor’s Equity card and was making her way in the independent theater scene.

“I was super excited about this one street theater protest that we were doing, and I invited everyone,” Fong-Reynolds said. “We dressed up as different sea creatures. I was super pumped. I told everybody about it.

“Taylor was my only friend who showed up,” she said. “We had dinner together that night, and that’s when we started.”

Rebeca Fong-Reynolds and Taylor Reynolds with Ernie’s Pop Shop display.

She got into culinary work and went to pastry school, started interning at Aquavit. They moved to Buffalo and married in 2020. She worked at restaurants, including for Ellen Gedra at The Black Sheep,

They wanted to start their own thing, and settled on helados, Ecuadorian ice cream pops. She studied the science of frozen desserts, and her mother Carmita reminded her of the helados. In 2023, Ernie’s launched.

Their debut was at Alice, Ever After Books, the children’s bookstore at 295 Parkside Ave., across from the Buffalo Zoo.

“There was this little girl who saw that we had a pink popsicle, and she was like, ‘I want that one.’ And her mom was like, ‘You hate all fruit and that is a watermelon popsicle, and you are gonna hate it. And she was like, ‘I don’t care.’

So her mom bought it for her, and she took one lick, and she goes, ‘Yuck.’ Her mom’s like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I was like, ‘No, she feels how she feels. It’s fine.’

And we start talking, and she keeps licking the popsicle, and she starts finishing the popsicle, and she’s almost done with the popsicle. Her mom looks at me and says ‘That is the most amount of fruit she has eaten in her entire life. She is four years old.’”

Corn stick, beef pastry, plantain and beef pastelillo,

REVIEW: In the shadow of Buffalo City Hall, Jamy Ramos’ Sueños de Azucar took over 55 Niagara St. for a Puerto Rican panaderia, breakfast, and lunch spot, much to the delight of downtown Buffalo lunchers. Since its August opening, folks have flocked to its offerings both sweet (guava pastelillos, tres leches cake, pastry hearts) and savory (plantain-and-beef pastelillos, potato-stick-topped Puerto Rican dogs, and mammoth tripleta sandwiches that are a day’s fuel. (Coming Thursday, for patrons.)

Support Four Bites with your patronage at $8 a month or $50 a year (14 cents a day)

RAISING THE ROOTS: On Oct. 4, eat your way through Raising the Roots, with 20 West Side restaurants and drink dispensaries at Massachusetts Avenue Project.

For four hours, starting at noon, eating, drinking, and learning are on the menu at the urban farm, 387 Massachusetts Ave., celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Guests can indulge in a diverse array of seasonal foods, powered by MAP’s own urban farm, including Colombian food from Breva Kitchen, savory empanadas from Half Luna Empanadas, Italian food from West Side neighbor Roseland’s Atlas, creative desserts from Quokka Sweets, and more.

Buy tickets here: 21+ $70, 5-20 $35, children under 5 free.

After grazing, attendees can cast their Golden Whisk vote for their favorite:

Craft brews, wine, spirits & non-alcoholic beverages will be provided by Bicycle Bottle Shop, Community Beer Works, Fair Play Distillery, GoVeggies Juices, Hamburg Brewing Co, Paradise Wine, Smoldered Society, Tipico Coffee & Cafe, and Thin Man Brewery.

Activities include cyanotype sun prints with CEPA Gallery, botanical ink and flower prints using MAP-grown plants, educational culinary demos, a photobooth, disco & soul music from DJ Auntie K, farm tours, raffles, and more.

Event proceeds benefit MAP’s food equity initiatives, which include food equity advocacy, free and affordable gardening, and culinary classes for the community, youth employment, and citywide efforts to increase fresh food access through the MAP Mobile Market.

HERE COMES PEPPER PALOOZA: The stuffed banana epper festival of your dreams happens Oct. 19, the Bills bye week.

At Pepper Palooza, more than 50 restaurants and vendors are expected to compete for the people’s vote in both classic and freestyle categories, as well as judge’s honors.

The action happens 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at Wings Meeting Place, 3964 California Rd, Orchard Park.

Hosted by appétit, Buffalo’s homegrown food delivery service, the first-ever food fest also features games, giveaways, raffles, and live music.

Get your tickets here, $25 or $50 VIP early entry. All proceeds benefit Wings Flights of Hope, Special Olympics of WNY, NYS Restaurant Association Scholarship Fund.

SASKATOON BUTTER TARTS: Kate Knowles has added to her Canadian-style butter tart repertoire with a version sporting an extremely Canadian flavor: Saskatoon berry.

The signature taste of Saskatchewan joins the rest of Manchester Place Baking Co.’s offerings at Kenmore Farmers Market on Sundays, starting at 9 a.m. sharp. Which is worth mentioning because Knowles butter tarts have been gone by noon.