Double Vision?

No, it isn’t an optical illusion or a feat of cloning…

If the King of Pops appears to be in two different places at the same time, it is because Steven Carse and his brother, equally tall, blonde, and good looking, are virtually indistinguishable from one another.

Yesterday, for example, while one of the brothers was in his usual spot at the Buddy gas station on Highland Avenue, the other was in front of the White Provisions Building on Howell Mill Road.

An article in the August issue of Atlanta magazine (the football issue) will show you the King of Pops in all his glory and you can refer to our vendor profile to determine whether you are buying from Steven or from his bro.

Farm Cart and King of Pops

Our friend Christa tipped us off to the above event, the inaugural fundraiser for Burnaway, a new online visual arts magazine, that will feature both the Farm Cart (which now posts its menu online) and King of Pops (plus vodka lemonade with mint) in attendance. Come support food carts this Saturday and remember to bring cash.

Vendor Gallery: Steven Carse

King of Pops

Meet Atlanta native Steven Carse, a.k.a. the King of Pops, who manufactures handcrafted popsicles in a range of intriguing gourmet flavors. Part of the business is wheeling his cute pushcart (definitely a Mexican one, but with a current Atlanta permit) back and forth between the Irwin Street Market in the Old Fourth Ward where he makes them and his street corner across from Manuel’s Tavern and Videodrome where he sells them.

We shot the breeze with the King, ate one of his pops (yummy strawberry rhubarb), saw him make a couple of sales, and drove by him a couple of hours later returning to his home base, pushing the cart uphill and looking way hot.

King of Pops cart

Carse, who may be the only blue-eyed blond paletas vendor/manufacturor in Atlanta, has the blessing of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and the City of Atlanta Permitting Department sold him a permit for vending on private property. There is a limit to what he can do, but one of his plans for growing his business is to join forces with other food carts and trucks rolling out in force.

Steven Carse

King of Pops

King of Pops mural

His building may not be ready, but his pushcart has arrived and, according to one of our sources (and his own site) Steven Carse was vending briskly under a green umbrella in the parking lot of Buddy’s at the corner of North and N. Highland Avenues during the Easter weekend.

According to our friend Seth Berman, the King had about ten flavors with him. Berman tasted the Tangerine Basil and Mexican chocolate. “Tangerine Basil was vegan and a traditional fruit pop, he writes, “Mexican chocolate was cream-based with delish chocolate and just enough cayenne for a nice kick.  Like a fudgesicle with cayenne. He’s gonna be there on weekends and maybe Thursdays too . . . apparently the storefront has had some issues, so it’s the pushcart and the Irwin Street Market for now. ”

Check on the site and twitter for a list of flavors that include: Blood Orange, Strawberry Rhubarb, Grapefruit Rose, Lemon Blackberry, Tangerine Basil, Strawberry Cheesecake, Mexican Chocolate, Bananas & Cinnamon, Berries & Cream, Coconut w/ Toasted Almond.

[Image courtesy of the Blissful Glutton.]