How a cafe brought the viral Olympic Village muffins to New York – and back again for the Paralympics

Like many culture-shaping trends, it started on TikTok.

Posts from Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, now commonly known as the ‘muffin man’, showed the chocolate muffins served in the Olympic Village during the Summer Games. Christiansen’s posts, which highlighted his adoration for the fudgy bits, attracted a lot of attention millions of views when he competed in the Paris Olympics and led to numerous double muffin recipes (including one in The New York Times).

But a fan of Christiansen’s posts from New York City wouldn’t settle for just a reproduction.

Instead, Kelin Carolyn Zhang, a 32-year-old independent designer, wondered if she could try the real thing. There was an initial hurdle, however, as the supplier of the famous Olympic chocolate muffins, Coup de Pates, only fulfills wholesale orders, such as those from restaurants and businesses, rather than direct-to-consumer orders, she said. While trying to obtain the authentic muffins, Zhang documented her research and her quest to bring them to the United States on TikTokwhich led to a connection in the restaurant industry that made her wish possible.

“The whole situation just kept escalating, and I thought it was incredibly hilarious, so I kept going,” Zhang said.

The “extremely random rabbit hole” of muffin research, as she described it, ultimately resulted in a shipment of 15 boxes containing 300 chocolate muffins—presumably the same ones served to athletes at the Olympics. and Paralympic Gamesalthough Coup de Pates did not respond to requests for comment on the subject. The muffins were transported overnight on dry ice on a flight from Paris Orly Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Zhang said. The shipment required FDA approval and the muffins had to clear customs before being transported by van to the cafe in New York Isshiki Matcha in the East Village, where the first pop-up event was held on August 17.

Once the event was announced, something of a happened local frenzy ensued. The first customer queued outside the cafe at six in the morning; the event started four hours later. The line went around the block twice and the muffins — limited to one per customer for $10 — sold out in about two hours, according to Isshiki Matcha owner Angel Zheng, who said her friends who arrived late didn’t get one.

Zheng got involved after a friend tagged her in one of Zhang’s TikTok posts and suggested the two women team up to bring the muffins to New York City.

“I just really like side quests,” Zheng said. “I like doing things for the plot. I’m very young: I’m 24. I’m not a big company. I don’t have a boss with a command structure of twenty people. I open restaurants and it brings so much joy to people. So I thought: if it works, it works. And if not, at least we tried.”

It was no easy feat to pull off the event as the process involved many logistical hurdles, which Zhang did told in detail about X. Coup de Pates had never exported to New York before, so there was no system in place to get the goods from the plane to the restaurant, as Zheng had come to expect from other suppliers, which meant she and Zhang had to coordinate ground transportation. Zheng also said that she bought a new refrigerator for the restaurant large enough to hold all the muffins, and that the customs and transportation fees were expensive, but that she was “happy to do it.”

Moreover, it was not a one-off. Isshiki Matcha announced a second pop-up event at 10am on Saturday, with the Paralympic Games underway. This time they placed a larger order: 1,000 muffins, which Zhang said he will sell until supplies run out.

Zhang said she expects a smaller turnout this time, given the lateness of the announcement and that potential customers may be out of town over the holiday weekend.

Olympic Muffins are back in NYC for the Paralympics!

available tomorrow at 10am (Sat 31/08), 1 per person, first come, first served @ isshiki matcha

I have 1000 Krauts this time. popup continues through Sunday, while supplies last https://t.co/sPoxMoLnH2 pic.twitter.com/E26ajZAach

— kelin (@kelin_online) August 30, 2024

But Zhang said the latest shipment allowed her to try a second muffin. Despite all the coordination of the first event, she only tried one, given the demand.

“Can you believe it?” she said.

According to Zhang and Zheng, the hype surrounding the muffins is justified. And yes, Zhang confirmedthey are chocolate cakes. Zheng said she thinks it’s the best muffin she’s ever tried, adding to a chorus of positive reviews of the treats, many of which are being shared on TikTok, including by U.S. Olympians. Gabby Thomas, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Weitzeil Abbey and Torri Huske. More reviews could appear during the Paralympics, as the Paralympic Games X account seemed to indicate the muffins were available to competitors.

Okay… we need to know if any of our Paralympians have tried THE chocolate muffin in the athletes’ village yet 🍫

Athletes sign up and let us know…

📸Getty images pic.twitter.com/r8jgZ6BSwE

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympic Games) August 29, 2024

The popularity of the pastries has transcended the athletes’ village and thanks to Zhang and Zheng, the muffins have reached a new group of reviewers on another continent.

“I feel like the magic of these muffins is that no one can get their hands on them except Olympic athletes,” Zheng said. “I don’t think it’s about making chocolate muffins.”

Zheng added that her takeaway from the endeavor was that “anything is possible with the power of the internet.”

Zhang, whose background is in digital product design, said that she had never worked with a restaurant or cafe before her search for muffins and that “hopefully this whole story can inspire other people to take matters into their own hands.”

“The (first) muffin pop-up itself was so healthy,” she said. “People had fun in line. That’s what I’m really proud of: helping people have a good time and come together.”

She was unaware of plans for a third pop-up and highlighted the relevant events.

“I think it’s quite special to have it around the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” she said. “And that adds to the overall excitement.”

Regardless, Zhang’s quest had a satisfying ending. She and Zheng—along with those committed enough to their shared muffin activities to wait in line—finally ate like Olympians.

(Photo courtesy of Kelin Carolyn Zhang)