Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I have definitely always been a foodie, wanting to try new restaurants, different foods and experimenting with making things myself.’

Kelly Kay, Hicksville

“The idea came from a trip to Atlantic City with some friends a little more than 12 years ago. We were eating dumplings, and we were like, ‘You could put anything in this. How come you don’t see anything different besides the typical pork or cream cheese?’ So, my best friend and I went home and started experimenting with different flavors. We just went from there.

“We started doing farmers markets and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Over the years, it just kept growing. Then she left, and I took over when I had kids so I could do it full time. I had a few different locations, and then I got a food trailer. That eventually led to the food truck, and in 2020 I opened a storefront in Massapequa because the demand was so high.

My mind can’t stop coming up with flavors.

“I have always been a foodie, wanting to try new restaurants, different foods and experimenting with making things myself. So that just fell into place because I love to make things for people and see them enjoy it. It is not your typical wonton. It’s sweet and savory flavors — like different comfort foods. Bacon mac and cheese is one of our top sellers. We even have banana Nutella.

“There’s lots of vegetarian options, vegan desserts and a bunch of new flavors. We also sell them frozen, so you can make them at home in the oven, air fryer, pan fry, deep fry or grill. There are lots of options. My mind can’t stop coming up with flavors. We’ve probably done at least 50 different ones, like Philly cheese, honey BBQ chicken and spinach artichoke; those are usually the most popular. I come up with everything. We have our 10 standard flavors that we always do — basically what’s most popular. But then some of it’s just when I’m in the mood for something. It just depends on the event, the season, where my mind wanders and what I want to experiment with.

“I would love to see it become a franchise — like with the storefront or even with the food truck. I’d also love getting a second food truck because there’s so many things I have to turn down because I’m already booked. There’s also the wholesale aspect of it — selling to different bars, restaurants, supermarkets and stadiums. The sky’s the limit.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

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Faces of Long Island is produced by Newsday Consumer Marketing. This content does not involve the reporting and editing staff of Newsday’s Editorial Department.