Sole Food: Turning sneaker heat into sweet treats with EatGoodNYC

If there’s one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that the holidays are the best time of year to indulge that sweet tooth.

From trick-or-treating on Halloween to delectable desserts on the Thanksgiving table and then candy canes and gingerbread houses for Christmas, there’s a definite sugary theme running through the final months of the year.

And if you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about which pairs of kicks to rock on Turkey Day and Christmas that suit the day.

But why limit the sneaker theme to the floor under the table, when you can bring it to the dessert table?

There’s never a shortage of big-hype bakery items in the Big Apple (see also: Dominique Ansell’s cronut, Magnolia Bakery’s cupcakes, the Birthday Cake at Milk Bar), but how many spots are making sweet treats that look like fire sneakers? That’s what the folks at EatGoodNYC are doing every day.

Meet Carolina Wang and Benny Lima, the co-founders of EatGoodNYC. The pair met on Tinder and the recipe was obviously right, because since 2014 they’ve been creating stunning art on the most delicious of canvasses: cookies and cupcakes.

Their creations have caught the eyes of some of the biggest names in the game, including Beyonce, model Cara Delevingne, Pharrell Williams, The Roots and Mariah Carey to name a few. But make no mistake: Carolina and Benny’s sneaker-themed treats aren’t just the result of clever marketing around “what’s hot right now.”

“Streetwear has always been a passion because we grew up in it,” Carolina told The Fresh Press.

“We don’t just do something just to do it because it’s the cool thing to do. Our baking company represents everything we love and are passionate about and we promised ourselves we would never do something that doesn’t make us happy.

“Also [my] sneaker collection is ridiculous and [I’m] very serious about it.”

That certainly shines through in the work. Even a brief scroll through their website or Instagram account reveals virtually a who’s-who of this year’s hot launches, from Nike Dunk cookies dressed up in Raygun, Off-White, Chunky Dunky and Dr. Strangelove colorways to Versace VP of sneakers and men’s footwear Salehe Bembury’s New Balance collaboration.

The range is so broad that it’s impossible for the pair to pick their favorite piece.

“It was a dream to work with Nike for the first time and still is,” Carolina said.

“Just being a sneakerhead it’s always been my dream to work with them. The next collab hopefully will be a sneaker [wink wink Nike].

“We’ve also gotten to work with so many people we’ve admired and celebrities alike. This is really what inspires us to continue doing what we do, so … we can’t pick one. It really is a culmination of all our work.”

They don’t call it the culinary arts for no reason: food has been a method of self-expression for chefs all over the world for millennia, and The EatGoodNYC duo liken themselves to “mad scientists.”

“Food in general just brings people together,” Carolina said.

“The most enjoyable part is that we have the freedom to do what we want. We can make it look any way we want and make it taste anyway we want.

“We are like mad scientists in the kitchen and we feel like baking and decorating just had so many similarities to sculptures and art that we felt we would have the most freedom and versatility for design … and I mean, I think we all deep down have a bit of a sweet tooth.”

No lies detected there.

While the world has changed in 2020, it’s not slowing down Carolina and Benny. They have big plans for the new year and beyond, but didn’t reveal too much. You gotta keep that element of surprise, after all.

“More collabs, more products, more art and in a few months our flagship store will be open so we are super hyped about that,” Carolina said.

“We will finally be able to show everybody what the Art Eaters Food Art Gallery can look like! [And] our FoodArt Shop will open soon! Get ready to see ‘EATGOODNYC presents The ArtEaters Studio’ coming in 2021.”

Oh, we’re ready. I’m hungry just thinking about it.

Check out EatGoodNYC through their website or on Instagram.