By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A pastry truck by any other name is just as sweet.
At least that's what the owners of a mobile treats truck formerly known as Street Sweets hope. After a bitter battle with another pastry purveyor that shared a similar name, on Monday the four-wheeled treats shop announced the winner of a contest they held to find a new name.
SweeteryNYC, the suggestion of Park Slope resident Courtney Thom, 33, will be the new name of the mobile bakery. The truck, which makes regular stops in front of Columbia University and at 36th Street and Seventh Avenue, said they are in the process of legally changing their name. They changed the signage on the truck to read SweeteryNYC last week.
Thom beat out over 4,600 others who submitted suggestions — including Sweet Stuff, Sweet Life and Neat Sweets — to earn the honor of naming the shop. She was rewarded with a $500 American Express card and a $100 SweeteryNYC gift card.
"I was such a fan of the truck, I figured, why not participate in the contest," said Thom on Tuesday.
Regardless of the truck's name, Thom said that the products — delectable goodies such as macarellas, mousse-filled croissants and whoopie pies — sell themselves.
"I don't think the name makes a difference," said Thom, who checks the company's Facebook page every day to find out its location. "People who are fans of the truck know and love it by now."
The company's Twitter reviews are in resounding agreement.
"A+. Desserts are like a soft, warm, sweet hug on your tongue," Twitter user koshersalty wrote. "Recommend the pumpkin whoopie-pies and coconut macaroons."
"The name is great, and catchy but your treats are SUPERB and AWESOMENESS! NY is lucky to have you under any name!" Twitter user f_uitlist added.
Although Manhattan residents seem to love the truck — regardless of its name — owner Grant Di Mille is still stinging form the time- and money-consuming lawsuit that erupted between his business and web-based company Sweet Street Desserts in November of 2009. Di Mille was sued for trademark infringement by Sweet Street Desserts.
"I'm not happy I had to change my name," Di Mille, a former graphic designer, told DNAinfo. "We love that name [Street Sweets]. I don't know if it's an emotional attachment, but we really don't want to give it up."
His love for the original name meant that it took a long time for the company to make the transition to a new name, Di Mille added.
"A lot of people put in entries, and for awhile we didn't iike any of them," Di Mille said. "The truth of the matter is that we despised every one of them."
Regardless, Di Mille said, the amount of effort the community put in to help is a testament to how much his followers truly love the business.
"People spent a lot of time submitting names," Di Mille told DNAinfo. "It was pretty humbling, that somebody would think highly enough of us to think of names for us."
