The Little One
Eddie Zheng and Olivia Leung, owners of The Little One
The Little One
150 East Broadway
Welcome to Chinatown is excited to spotlight Longevity Fund recipient The Little One, a Japanese-style dessert shop that makes high quality, Japanese-inspired shaved ice and desserts. After leaving their day jobs to attend the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) and stints at top NYC restaurants and bakeries, Eddie Zheng and his wife, Olivia Leung, opened the shop in 2017 on the street where they both grew up.
Tell us about your business.
We fell in love with Japanese desserts and culture during our trips to Japan and were inspired to bring high quality, Japanese-style desserts to NYC. Our shop is known for unique desserts such as kakigōri (shaved ice) and monaka ice cream sandwiches (an ice cream sandwich that uses thin, crispy wafers typically made from mochi flour).
Tell us about yourself.
Olivia and I both grew up in Chinatown, and both our parents had shops on East Broadway. We first met at Columbus Park while playing basketball as kids. Before starting The Little One, Olivia worked at the Chinatown YMCA, and I worked in marketing. We are both big foodies, but we never thought of making a career of it until Olivia started to take an interest in baking. I encouraged her to chase her dreams, and we enrolled together at ICE. Olivia went on to work at bakeries such as Dominique Ansel Bakery and Tous Les Jours, and I worked at restaurants such as wd~50, The Elm, and La Sirena.
How did you come up with the name “The Little One”?
The “One” in The Little One stands for “Olivia n Eddie.” Our little store is our “little one.”
What is your favorite dessert on the menu? What makes it special?
One of our favorites is our best seller: the hōjicha kakigōri. We love hōjicha (roasted green tea) because we would always have it when visiting Japan. This kakigōri has the perfect balance of bitterness from the tea, sweetness from the syrup, creaminess from the whipped cream, and tartness from the lime zest. We were inspired by the Arnold Palmer — a classic American drink that combines iced tea and lemonade — and wanted to create something that would be refreshing on a hot summer day. It was fun developing this dessert because hōjicha has such a complex flavor profile — it’s toasty, nutty, sweet, and caramelly all at once.
“We are still making changes every day and are still just trying to survive.”
How did the COVID shutdown in 2020 impact your business?
We had a baby a week before the city shut down. At the time, we assumed COVID was going away in a few months. Plus, we got to spend more time with our newborn. As COVID worsened, we decided to shut down for four months and began questioning whether we could keep our shop alive.
Ultimately, we decided to keep pushing and negotiated with our landlord, which allowed us to keep doing what we love. Even though we reopened during the summer busy season, when sales typically peak, our revenues were still down 60%. What got us through the hardest days was the overwhelming amount of love and support from our regulars and new customers. We are still making changes every day and are still just trying to survive.
How can people help Chinatown businesses?
Chinatown businesses need more support than ever. Try to order from restaurants directly rather than use third-party delivery apps because those apps charge insanely high fees. Also, tip the staff even if there is no dine-in option because it goes a long way for foodservice workers.
“People shouldn’t have to spend a fortune for quality desserts — we hope people will remember us for bringing affordable, delicious, and unique desserts to NYC.”
How has Welcome to Chinatown (WTC) and the Longevity Fund grant helped your business?
WTC has helped us in more ways than we thought were possible. WTC created a T-shirt, mug, and tote bag for us with 100% of the proceeds going to our store. WTC also provided multiple opportunities to participate in community events such as the Chinatown Food Crawl and programs for giving back to nurses and volunteers.
The grant will be used to pay rent and operating costs, which helps us push forward during this difficult time. We are very grateful for what WTC has done for small businesses and the Chinatown community.
What do you hope your legacy will be?
We are not just a social media dessert trend — Olivia and I put a lot of care and time into every one of our desserts. People shouldn’t have to spend a fortune for quality desserts — we hope people will remember us for bringing affordable, delicious, and unique desserts to NYC.
Shop The Little One Made Chinatown Collection
To learn more about The Little One’s history and story, visit our volunteer and content writer Alice Huang’s blog, HangryAlice.com, for the full interview.
Chinatown establishments like The Little One are what makes the spirit of our neighborhood. We need your support to keep that spirit alive. Please consider donating to The Longevity Fund, our small business relief fund, or help us spread the word of what’s at stake. Together, we can preserve Chinatown businesses and help keep Chinatown open for business.
Photo Credits: Fuxuan Xin
