Cronut inventor’s new Waffogato spurs controversy over who created the dessert

Cronut and chocolate chip cookie milk shot inventor Dominique Ansel, of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City, has posted a picture on his Instagram account of a new dessert sensation for people to fawn over called the Waffogato. Turns out, he wasn't the first to create the waffle, coffee hybrid. Does it really matter? 

Ansel posted the picture two days ago with the caption "Created the #Waffogato for Taste of a Nation tonight (and soon to be in store when it warms up)." 

He went on to explain the Waffogato is a vanilla ice cream waffle with Belgium waffle bits, a little salt and maple-syrup espresso poured on top. He insists that when the ice cream melts, small tapioca pearls float in the ice cream espresso sauce. 

In 2012, the OC Weekly reported on a Waffogato created by shops at OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa made of gelato from N'Ice Cream; "dauphinoise," honey and almond from Cheese Shoppe; espresso from Portola Coffee Lab, alderwood-smoked sea salt from Savory Spice Shop and a waffle from the Iron Press.

"It's an incredibly blatant ripoff of a collaboration nearly two years ago by the tenants of the SoCo Collection here in Costa Mesa, California," reads a recent OC Weekly article describing Ansel's version of the Waffogato.  

So Ansel didn't invent the first Waffogato. He also never claimed to. 

"We're excited to see other interpretations inspired by waffles and affogato -- it's a wonderful combination," Dominique Ansel Bakery said in a statement.  "There was never a statement where our chef or bakery claimed to be the first to create a dessert interpretation of waffles and the affogato."

Ansel made the waffle coffee dessert to support the No Kid Hungry campaign, which works to end childhood hunger. 

"And we never expected a negative reaction over a sweet treat that we prepared to fight hunger for kids," said Dominique Ansel Bakery in the statement. "We hope this one response doesn't call attention away from a real problem of child hunger."