SHOWCASING LOUISIANA: Mr. Milkshake creates art in a cup

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - You might call Colin Odinet the capital area’s own pied piper. Wherever he parks his mobile milkshake machine, people line up, and it’s not just for a creamy blend of ice cream and milk. Mr. Milkshake serves up art in a cup.

On a recent sunny afternoon, Jeff Mullens and his two kids showed up 30 minutes before Odinet opened his serving window.

“The magic he does in there,” Mullens said, “it’s worth the wait.”

By the time Odinet had cranked his generators and flung open his window, nearly a dozen more sweet treat seekers had joined Mullens. Menu in hand, Odinet approaches the small crowd and becomes the maître d’hôtel.

“I have a couple of specials that are not on the menu,” he explained.

His Not So Thin Mint lives up to its name.

“It comes with candy pieces, and it comes with cake pieces, and cookie pieces, with a brownie on top," Odinet said.

Because everybody loves ice cream, right? Odinet and his family have worked for more than a year to make his mobile milkshake machine a reality. Every day, they bring the ice cream shop to a different neighborhood or shopping center, and almost like magic, the lines form.

“They just show up,” he said.

But these are not just any milkshake. Imagine your favorite dessert swirled in ice cream and hung on a wall in an art gallery. The creations come from somewhere inside Odinet’s head.

“I had a background in culinary arts,” Odinet said. “Went to school for it, worked in some fine dining restaurants, so it was something I knew I could do.”

His concoctions are a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.

“We want to give that shock and awe factor when we hand it out the window,” Odinet said.

His customers do not disappoint him. Children wait in anxious anticipation for a cup piled high with cookie dough, brownies, or cupcakes. Their faces light up when it arrives, and they can barely contain themselves as the first sweet, smooth sip slides down their throat.

Mindy Steidley broke her diet just for a taste.

“I’ve been three months without carbs, so today’s the day,” she said.

People stand in line for hours for this little taste of heaven.

“The longest line I had to open my window was about 200,” Odinet said. “Five minutes into service, it exceeded a football field.”

But the wait seems to be worth it.

Shelly Allette was on her way to the gym when she saw the line and jumped in. She picked up her bananas foster milkshake 20 minutes later.

“Oh my God!” she shrieked. “This is crazy! Oh my God! This is good!”

The lines are a tribute to the quality, but for Mr. Milkshake, it’s about something more.

“I get a sense of fulfillment out of it,” Odinet said.

For him, it’s about the reaction of someone’s first taste of art in a cup.

You can find out where Odinet will be next on his Mr. Milkshake Facebook page. He announces his planned locations a couple of days in advance.

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