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Olympic chocolate muffins brought to New York City for pop-up

What would you do for a chocolate muffin?

That's what independent designer Kelin Carolyn Zhang wondered when she saw Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen proclaiming his love for the chocolate muffins served in the Olympic Village on TikTok.

Christiansen posted over a dozen videos of his beloved “chocolate muffin,” and Olympic stars like “pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik and track and field gold medalist Gabby Thomas also shared their love for the pastry.

Zhang was fascinated.

Three weeks later, she tracked down the French supplier, organized a shipment of muffins to the US, and overcame the challenges involved—all to bring the viral muffins to New York City for a pop-up event. In a thread on X, Zhang wrote detailed how she partnered with New York City cafe Isshiki Matcha to bring the viral muffins to hundreds of New Yorkers on August 17.

“I'm a big believer in just trying new things,” Zhang told NBC News. “I think this was one of the more extreme examples of that.”

Her viral search for the muffins began: she produced and published several videos trying to identify the inventor of the muffins. Eventually, she found out that they were made by Coup de pates. Around this time, a stranger commented that her friend Angel Zheng, the owner of Isshiki Matcha, would be willing to help her import and sell the muffins.

“I think I'm the only crazy cafe owner in New York City who would agree to do something of this magnitude in such a short period of time,” Zheng said in an interview with NBC News.

Isshiki Matcha, which has been open for four months, mainly sells premium matcha and matcha drinks. Zheng described her interest in bringing authentic food to a wider audience and holding events such as collaborations with Zhang or fashion pop-ups.

In her thread, Zhang detailed the obstacles she faced in sourcing the muffins, including having to contact Coup de pates on multiple platforms, getting approval from Customs and the FDA, and worrying about the muffins spoiling.

When the muffins arrived in the U.S., the customs agent told Zhang that they could not be delivered the same day because the refrigerated truck was too small. The agent offered to keep the muffins in a freezer for the airline until the next morning and was finally able to deliver them the same day. Zheng even bought a new freezer to store the muffins in.

Her way of thinking was always to focus on one problem at a time and to work in a solution-oriented manner, Zhang described.

On the day of the event, hundreds of New Yorkers lined up at 6 a.m. to buy a muffin. After eating a few themselves and sharing them with family and friends, the duo sold the remaining 263 muffins.

The Cafe Price Each muffin costs $10, and Zheng says most of that cost went toward transportation costs and that the most money they made that day was when customers bought a matcha in addition to the muffin.

While some online criticized the hype surrounding a simple muffin, Zhang said it was lighthearted fun that allowed fans watching the Olympics on another continent to feel included.

“I can't be an Olympic athlete,” she added. “I could eat that viral muffin that all these Olympic athletes can't stop talking about.”

Zhang described the muffin as light, moist and not too sweet. “I'm a fan,” she said. However, she only managed to eat three-quarters of one muffin, mostly for a taste test she posted online, and hopes to try more.

Zhang and Zheng are trying to import another batch of muffins to sell (and eat), but nothing has been finalized yet. What Zhang values ​​most, however, is the experience.

“Have fun – life is short,” Zhang said. “Be a little silly.”

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