the bent spoon

Our Story

Starting in 2004 as a labor of love in ice cream, Matt Errico and Gab Carbone opened the bent spoon in their late twenties on a shoestring budget and a whole lot of entrepreneurial spirit. At the forefront of the new ice cream wave, Gab & Matt made it (& continue to appear) on countless “best of” lists – including a “best of NYC” in New York Magazine (for their semi-regular pop-up at the New Amsterdam Market from 2009-2012) and New Jersey Monthly’s “best ice cream” 14 years in a row.

Since the beginning, there have been so many partnerships and collaborations with various organizations including Princeton University, NOFA-NJ, Fair Food Philadelphia, Slow Food USA (the founder, Carlo Petrini visited the store!) and Gab even went on a trip to the White House in 2011 to join Michelle Obama’s ‘Chefs Move to Schools’ Initiative. They had a glorious Vespa motor scooter with an ice cream sidecar (currently retired) that showed up at all kinds of events from Phillies games, to weddings, to farmer’s markets, and to grand benefits. They continue extend their philanthropy to a myriad of environmental and local land preservation groups, and also send love to their furry friends through a ongoing donation from the proceeds of a special “puppy ice cream” made for dogs. One of the most impactful partnerships continues to be with Princeton’s legendary natural food store, the Whole Earth Center, where for nearly 10 years they have worked together on a special pint project to help fund Princeton’s school garden programs.
Highlighting relationships and community is the centerpiece of how they source ingredients, support local farms, seek out producers who share similar ideals and try to make some sort of social impact through ice cream. Gab and Matt set out to create a place where those ingredients show off all that the great garden state has to offer and also to be a little place of joy for all those who visit the tiny shop on Palmer Square.

(pictured: Owners, Matt Errico & Gab Carbone)