West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox

Search the site

No Result
View All Result

Get WSR FREE in your inbox

AVAILABLE NOW!


HERE

Joyffles to the World! UWS Entrepreneur Takes Her Gluten-Free Waffles from Grand Bazaar to the Nation

March 7, 2022 | 11:17 AM - Updated on March 8, 2022 | 12:13 AM
in FOOD, NEWS
7
Joyce Friedmann.

By Scott Etkin

On the night before her debut at the Grand Bazaar flea market on West 77th Street, Joyce Friedmann stood in her UWS apartment, surrounded by 100 packages of waffles and 100 loose waffles to cut up for samples.

A group of friends had come over to help pack them and make signs for her booth. “I literally didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” she said with a laugh.

By the next afternoon, however, she had sold every package. That day in September 2021 was the first sign that Joyce had made the right move bringing Joyffles, her gluten-free waffles, to the public. A few weeks later at the Grand Bazaar, she more than doubled those sales.

Ms. Friedmann describes launching Joyffles as “a leap of faith,” but in many ways it was also a long time coming. As a single mom, Joyce often made waffles for her twin children. Over time, she tweaked the recipe – replacing flour with oats and removing the granulated sugar – into a healthier version so that she could eat them too.

As her kids grew up attending P.S. 87, Joyce’s career was running a boutique press and marketing agency. But she is one of those people who has always felt comfortable in the kitchen — starting when she was six years old and her mother taught her to make French toast because she didn’t feel like making it herself.

Joyce decided that once her kids went off to college, she’d try turning her waffles into a business. Unfortunately, freshman year coincided with the start of the pandemic. Throughout 2020, there was “no sampling” at stores and farmers markets, which delayed her plans for months.

“I was so excited to finally have a proof of concept,” she said, describing her six weeks at the Grand Bazaar. Despite the limitations of working out of her galley kitchen – when she tried running a second waffle iron, she blew a fuse – Joyce found an audience for her product.

Some of her primary customers are families – kids love them and parents can have them guilt-free. Some sent in photographs.

Upper West Side native, Julian Alvin, enjoying a Joyffles snack. Photo by his mom Rachel Birch.

Joyce has also gained a following among an active crowd: one customer reports eating them before a workout; another eats them when out hiking and biking.

Ryan Goldberg taking a break from his hike in the Santa Monica mountains to enjoy some Joyffles. Photo by Cassie Friedman (no relation).

Despite making a gluten-free product, Joyce doesn’t have celiac disease. She said one of the best things about Joyffles is that people can enjoy them whether they eat gluten-free or not. “They’re the perfect breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up.”

After her successful run at the Grand Bazaar, Joyce transitioned her business online, which required moving out of her home kitchen and into a commercial space. Still working on her own, she now makes her product at The Entrepreneur Space, a nonprofit in Long Island City. She recently fulfilled 16 large orders that were shipped across the country, including Arizona, Las Vegas, California, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Joyffles come in three flavors: Banana Walnut, Banana Chocolate Chip and Apple Cranberry. Each package of two waffles costs $4.50. They’re made with fresh ingredients, including chia seeds and flax seeds, and without preservatives. They can last for about three months if stored in the freezer.

Joyce’s next goal is to get coffee shops and gourmet stores on the Upper West Side to carry her product. “I’ll stick to the Upper West Side and expand out from here,” she said. “It’s a great community.”

For now you can purchase Joyffles directly from Joyce on her website: www.joyffles.com.

Share this article:
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Sandy
Sandy
10 months ago

This is great! Good for Joyce creating a wonderful product in the pandemic that’s been well received!

0
Reply
deborah friedman
deborah friedman
10 months ago

I love Joyffuls! a regular part of my breakfast routine (I like to add peanut butter and either bananas or blueberries). It is fun to meet Joyce at 72nd St. to pick up my order!

0
Reply
Carol
Carol
10 months ago

This is a wonderful success story, and I’m glad for her. I just don’t get it, though…… so many gluten-free products that are full of grains and seeds. By that, I mean that for anyone allergic to wheat or sensitive to gluten may well also need an AIP diet (autoimmune protocol), and grains and seeds and such can be generally inflammatory, especially for anyone with autoimmune problems. (Is banana also not one of the major allergens? It’s one of my seven allergens, anyway…)
But hey – it seems like a FABTASTIC marketing strategy.
All the best.

0
Reply
Sophia Friedmann
Sophia Friedmann
10 months ago

Joyffles are the BEST!!!!❤️ So yummy!!! And so proud of my amazing mom.

0
Reply
Michael
Michael
10 months ago

I’ve eaten Joyffles and I have to say that they are amazing! So easy to take anywhere when I need a quick pick me up snack.

And since you can add most any toppings you like, they never get boring!

Count me in as a huge fan!!!
Michael

0
Reply
Barbara Bryan
Barbara Bryan
10 months ago

So when and where can we shop for a Joyffu? For now, only the Fleamarket? If yes, what hours are they available?

0
Reply
Joyce
Joyce
10 months ago
Reply to  Barbara Bryan

Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your interest in Joyffles. You can order Joyffles on the joyffles.com website. I will arrange a time and pick up location with you once an order is placed. I will also be back in the Grand Bazaar Flea Market in the spring. Dates TBD. If you have any questions, please send a note to joyffles@gmail.com. Thanks again!
Best,
–Joyce

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

BP Levine Calls for More Manhattan Housing, Including 80 Affordable Units on the UWS
NEWS

BP Levine Calls for More Manhattan Housing, Including 80 Affordable Units on the UWS

February 5, 2023 | 8:42 AM
Crime On The Upper West Side Over the Decades
CRIME

NYPD Releases Crime Data for January 2023; UWS Incidents Are Up

February 3, 2023 | 10:16 PM - Updated on February 5, 2023 | 5:49 AM
Previous Post

Program for College Students Who Need to ‘Take a Pause’ Opens on UWS

Next Post

Fire at 73rd and Columbus Sends Residents Scurrying Monday Afternoon

this week's events image

Explore Your Favorite Subject

20th precinct 24th precinct american museum of natural history animals art bicycling bulletin central park closings columns community board 7 coronavirus crash crime development dogs events fdny fire food gale brewer helen rosenthal history jcc lincoln center monday bulletin morning bulletin nypd openings pedestrian safety photography photos politics public schools pupper west side real estate restaurants retail riverside park silver stars fitness snow sponsored subway upper west side uws

CITY NEWS

Brick Underground
City Limits
Eater
Gothamist
NY Daily News
NY Post
NY Times

LOCAL RESOURCES

Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group
Central Park Conservancy
CB7
Community Education Council 3
Assembly District 67
The New York Historical Society
Riverside Park
West End Preservation

UWS Blogs

Bloomingdale History Central Park Blogger
North River Notes
Next Post
Fire at 73rd and Columbus Sends Residents Scurrying Monday Afternoon

Fire at 73rd and Columbus Sends Residents Scurrying Monday Afternoon

Local Students Split Over Whether to Mask Up in School Now that Mandate Is Lifted

Local Students Split Over Whether to Mask Up in School Now that Mandate Is Lifted

Historic Industrial Building Eludes Wrecking Ball and Prepares for 21st-Century Mission

Historic Industrial Building Eludes Wrecking Ball and Prepares for 21st-Century Mission

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2023 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2023 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.