How a Cafe Brought the Viral Olympic Village Muffins to NYC—and Back for the Paralympics

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

Posts by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, now widely known as the “muffin man,” showed off the chocolate muffins served in the Olympic Village during the Summer Games. Christiansen’s posts, which emphasized his adoration for the fudgy treats, were viewed millions of times while he was competing in the Paris Olympics and led to countless duplicate muffin recipes (including one in The New York Times).

But a fan of Christiansen’s dispatches 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 handles wholesale orders, such as those from restaurants and businesses, rather than direct to consumers, she said. While trying to source the authentic muffins, Zhang documented her research and quest to bring them to the United States on TikTok, which led to a connection in the restaurant industry that helped make her wish come true.

“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 of the chocolate muffins — presumably the same ones served to athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics, though Coup de Pates did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. The muffins were flown 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 New York City’s Isshiki Matcha café in the East Village, where the first pop-up event was held on Aug. 17.

When the event was announced, there was something of a local frenzy. The first customer lined up outside the cafe at 6 a.m. — the event started four hours later. The line wrapped around the block twice, and the muffins — limited to one per customer for $10 — sold out in about two hours, according to Angel Zheng, owner of Isshiki Matcha, who said her friends who arrived late didn’t get any.

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 really young — I’m 24. I’m not a big company. I don’t have a boss with a chain of command of 20 people. I open restaurants and it brings so much joy to people. So I thought, if it works, it works. And if it doesn’t work, at least we tried.”

Organizing the event was no easy feat, as the process involved many logistical hurdles, which Zhang detailed in detail on 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 was used to with other suppliers, meaning she and Zhang had to coordinate ground transportation. Zheng also said she purchased a new refrigerator for the restaurant that was large enough to hold all the muffins, and that the customs and shipping fees were high, but that she was “happy to do it.”

What’s more, it wasn’t a one-time event. Isshiki Matcha announced a second pop-up event that would kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, while the Paralympics were underway. This time, they placed a larger order — for 1,000 muffins, which Zhang said they would sell until supplies ran out.

Zhang expects turnout to be smaller this time around, given the late announcement and potential customers may not be in town over the long weekend.

Olympic muffins are back in New York for the Paralympic Games!

available at 10am tomorrow (Sat 8/31), 1 per person, first come, first served @ isshiki matcha

got 1000 muffs this time. popup will remain open until sunday if supplies last https://t.co/sPoxMoLnH2 photo.twitter.com/E26ajZAach

— kelin (@kelin_online) August 30, 2024

But Zhang said the latest delivery 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 confirmed, they are chocolate cakes. Zheng said she thinks it’s the best muffin she’s ever tried, joining a chorus of positive reviews of the treats, many of which have been shared on TikTok, including by U.S. Olympians Gabby Thomas, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Abbey Weitzeil and Torri Huske. More reviews could come during the Paralympics, as the Paralympic Games X account appeared to indicate that the muffins were available to competitors.

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

Athletes report and let us know…

📸Getty Images photo.twitter.com/r8jgZ6BSwE

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) August 29, 2024

The pastries’ popularity extends beyond athletes and, thanks to Zhang and Zheng, the muffins have now reached a new group of reviewers on other continents.

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

Zheng added that she has learned from her venture that “anything is possible with the power of the internet.”

Zhang, who has a background in digital product design, said she had never collaborated with a restaurant or cafe before venturing into muffins and that she “hopefully can inspire other people to take matters into their own hands.”

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

She was not aware of any plans for a third pop-up and emphasized the relevant events.

“I think it’s special to keep it just around the Olympics and Paralympics,” she said. “And that adds to the overall excitement.”

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

(Photo courtesy of Kelin Carolyn Zhang)