Paramus ice cream vendor loses truck in fire. Then her fans step in

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 5 minutes read

A fire may have destroyed her truck. But fans of Paramus' famous “Ice Cream Lady” made sure her dream didn't go up in smoke.

Monica Pidhorecki was devastated in May when the second of her two trucks was badly damaged in a fire that also left her home temporarily uninhabitable. But in the weeks since, a fundraiser by local families has gotten her back on the road, much to the delight of countless Bergen County kids.

“I have never felt more loved and I never realized the impact I had on this community until this happened,” she said.

Hardships are commonplace for Pidhorecki, 59, whose business started in the dark days of COVID. Early in the pandemic, she was laid off from her two-decade bartending job at the Twin Door Tavern at the Maywood Inn. After months of sitting idle during the lockdown, she decided “out of boredom” to pursue the career change she’d already been thinking about. “The Ice Cream Lady” — emblazoned in bold letters on her white and red truck — was born.

She remembers her first day on the road, July 13, 2020, as a quiet day. Fearing COVID, people were staying home. She tried the old-fashioned way, walking the local streets listening to music, but no one came.

How to find the ice cream seller

Her husband Mike suggested a 21st-century approach to reviving the business: Pidhorecki posted a message on a Paramus Moms Facebook page. If families wanted the ice cream vendor to come to their neighborhood, they could just send a text message.

“My phone blew up,” Pidhorecki recalls. “And it’s never stopped since.”

Running her on-demand business helped her meet many families in the area she covered, including Rochelle Park, Maywood, River Edge, Oradell and Paramus.

As the pandemic eased and the world opened up, people started hiring her for events. She served scoops of ice cream at employee and student homecoming parties, farmers markets, birthday gatherings and corporate events. Those jobs remain her main source of business today.

“This is my fifth season and the demand is incredible,” Pidhorecki said during a recent stop at the River Edge Farmers Market, where she sold 1,200 frozen treats in one afternoon.

Business was booming

Before the fire, the ice cream vendor was well on her way to expanding her business. Last year, she purchased a converted school bus that she planned to operate with her husband and cousin to meet growing demand.

For a year, his wife recalls, Mike Pidhorecki “put his blood, sweat and a lot of tears” into transforming the vehicle into an ice cream truck, removing all the seats from the bus and sanding the whole thing down. With a larger vehicle, Pidhorecki was able to serve customers hand-made products for the first time. She started with four flavors of Italian ice cream and planned to expand the menu from there.

“I was going to add chocolate and vanilla ice cream, I was going to make sundaes, I had all kinds of visions,” Pidhorecki said.

She introduced the converted bus this spring and used it for five events, the last being a carnival at Ridge Ranch Elementary School in Paramus on May 16.

“Everything went well and everything ran smoothly,” Pidhorecki said. “It was a great and successful event, my first school event. The kids loved it.”

The night of the fire: “Something is wrong!”

That Thursday night, she came home around 8:30 p.m. and parked her truck in her driveway as usual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Pidhorecki said.

She had dinner with Mike and fell asleep on the couch. Around 10:30 p.m., however, her husband saw a strange glow through a window.

“He jumped up and said, ‘There’s something wrong,’” Pidhorecki recalled. “He ran to the back and saw fire.”

Pidhorecki grabbed her dog and a phone to call 911 and rushed outside. As she left the house, 20-foot flames shot out of the vehicle. “The entire front of the new truck was engulfed.” The exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but it has been traced to the engine compartment.

But the damage didn't stop there. Her husband's Ford F-250 completely burst into flames, leaving behind nothing but a hulk. The fire also spread through their home, spreading across a three-foot overhang near the bedroom above the couple's garage. The living room and the back of their home sustained significant smoke damage.

“Everything was black,” Pidhorecki said.

Firefighters did everything they could to save her first truck. Fortunately, the damage was limited to a layer of soot and a slightly melted rearview mirror, she said.

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It is estimated that it will take between six and 12 months for the house to be repaired. Pidhorecki is staying with her mother during the work and is parking her remaining ice cream truck at a friend's house.

The fire couldn’t have come at a worse time: June is the busiest month of the year for the ice cream business, Pidhorecki said. After the fire, she rented a Penske van as a temporary second vehicle, letting school events know it was the only way she could conduct business.

Fans rallied: “RR loves you”

That's when the legion of friends and supporters Pidhorecki had gained over the past four years entered the picture.

Three different GoFundMe campaigns have been started by local fans on behalf of the ice cream vendor, and in total they have raised about $22,000 to help her replace her mobile shop.

“They were great,” Pidhorecki said. “I still cry when I think about it because that’s what really kept us going. It was really tough.”

The day after the fire, Pidhorecki was disoriented when she noticed her Venmo notifications kept ringing. Sales ranging from $5 to $20 suddenly started pouring in. Students at Ridge Ranch, the school she had attended the night of the fire, heard about her struggles and wanted to help.

“They were so upset,” Pidhorecki said. “The kids had a virtual ice cream sale. It spread to the other schools and they participated, too. They were sending Venmos with the message ‘RR.’” [Ridge Ranch] love you.'”

Thanks to the donations, Pidhorecki and her husband were able to put a down payment on a 2024 Promaster van, which helped them secure financing. The project is still under construction, but it made its maiden voyage last Saturday in Long Valley in Morris County.

“It’s really hard for me to put into words,” she said, “but my heart is so full.”

Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @snoda11

How to find the ice cream seller

Business was booming

The night of the fire: “Something is wrong!”

Fans rallied: “RR loves you”

Lina Portman

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