Serendipity 3 has the scoop on celebrities with a sweet tooth.
The famed Upper East Side eatery is getting ready to serve the 30 millionth incarnation of its signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate — an icy blended drink that late comedian Joan Rivers, for one, savored until the last drop.
“A waiter once tried to take away her plate and she said, ‘Wait, I’m not finished,’ and the bowl was empty, but the bowl underneath the saucer, had some, what we call dregs, in it,” dished Chef Joe Calderone, who has been at the helm as creative director since 1986.
“And she took a straw and sipped the dregs out of the bottom of the saucer.”
The 60th Street landmark, known as a sugary wonderland for “50% tourists, 50% New Yorkers,” according to Calderone, opened in September 1954. The famous dessert, which consists of 14 exotic cocoas, debuted the following year.
Celebrity fans of the decadent treat have included Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Grace Kelly, and Cary Grant.
Today, it’s served to A-Listers like Kim Kardashian, Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and Selena Gomez, who is an investor in the brand. “I remember Selena as a kid. Her parents would bring her in for ice cream sundaes,” said Calderone, who is also gearing up to celebrate National Sundae Day on Nov. 11.
George Lucas also let the force of the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, whose recipe remains a secret, be with him.
In 1976, Lucas came with fellow directors Brian DePalma and Steven Spielberg and ordered two of them just for himself.
“He was depressed from wrapping a difficult shoot, which turned out to be ‘Star Wars,’” the chef explained.
A Long Island City native, Calderone, who helped the iconic institution earn nine Guinness World Records — including Most Expensive Dessert, The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, priced at $25,000 — recalled another celebrity story that wasn’t so sweet.
“Bette Davis was in once and was insulted when a waiter tried to pick up her check,” he said.
She told the server, “No man ever pays for me.”
There also have been some unusual requests, such as the one made by Broadway star Elaine Stritch.
“She came in once and she sat at a table and she asked for a cup of hot water. And that’s all she wanted,” he said. “So then she went into her purse and took out her own tea bag and made her own tea at the table.”