A born foodie, Wilder’s first frozen custard experience goes back to her high school days in North Carolina.
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t was a small shop in Raleigh that was first to bring the cold treat to the state and convert her into a real “custard groupie.” With pecans and fresh bananas as her toppings of choice, the self-proclaimed custard black belt is now converting others à la toppings such as homemade coffee caramel and caramelized banana sauce. She lives a double life: a pharmaceutical marketing professional on one hand and a CFO of Vintage Frozen Custard on the other — Chief Flavor Officer that is. Her husband, Malik, left his career as a commercial real estate appraiser to allow them to pursue this frozen custard establishment together. He controls the store and food truck (aka custard truck), running the day-to-day operations of the business as the CEO, Chief Experience Officer. “He says that the work is definitely harder .... more people, laws and quality control issues to manage,” Wilder says. “But the work is far more rewarding in that he is
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committed to growing a business that is ours. Vintage is our opportunity to leave a legacy for our children and community while developing and growing a business with integrity.” And the truck gives it wings (or wheels). It’s effective and easy to test the market with. “We believed that people would love frozen custard, but the business voice in us said that we needed to validate that assumption by taking our product to the streets to see how the public would respond,” she says. With an overwhelming thumbs up from customers, the duo isn’t looking back. Proceeding with caution, they work to gauge the temperamental food scene, encouraged by the ever-growing demand for damn good custard. “The adventure lies in that this whole process feels a bit like a free-fall experience,” she says. “But … the taste buds of our fellow metro Atlantans provide the much-needed parachute to keep us pressing forward.”