Talks & Entertainment

In 1913, young Malka Treynovsky flees Russia for New York with her family – only to be crippled and abandoned soon after she arrives. Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, Malka is determined to survive, quietly absorbing the secrets of his trade.

Slowly, Malka transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, whom President Eisenhower christens “The Ice Cream Queen of America” — doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises. Yet she is nothing like the motherly “ice cream lady” portrayed in the media. Conniving and profane, Lillian is an indomitable businesswoman who prefers a stiff drink to a sundae.

Spanning 70 years, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street is a portrait of old New York, 20th century America, and the extraordinary life of a woman determined to find love, fame, and power on her own terms.

Gilman is the New York Times bestselling author of Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, and Kiss My Tiara. Book signing and ice cream to follow.