How an Ice Cream Truck Became Her American Dream

By 2003, Unutmaz, now a mother of three and unemployed, found herself undocumented in a foreign country with little recourse. With limited English skills, she began walking around Parsippany, New Jersey, carrying a handwritten sign that said she was looking for work. She approached businesses owned by Muslims, believing it would offer her a safer working environment. “I wanted to avoid being harassed during my first job experience here,” she explained.

Her first opportunity came from two Pakistani brothers who owned Khan Market. They welcomed her as one of their own, trusting her with managing the cash register. Meanwhile, her children—Derya, 18, and Burak, 16—also started working to support the household. “My kids never got to experience a normal adolescence. They didn’t act spoiled, they studied, and after school, they worked to help us get by,” Unutmaz reflects.

She worked at Khan Market for nearly four years, earning $5 per hour. She also picked up a second job at a Subway sandwich shop, which held significant meaning for her. Her ex-husband had originally planned to open that Subway for her to manage, but during their separation, someone else took over the business. Ironically, Unutmaz later found herself working there as an employee.

Her life took another turn when she met Sedat, a man who had lost his job in Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks. Sedat had purchased an ice cream truck and had been running it for two seasons when they met. Soon, Unutmaz joined him in selling ice cream. Although their marriage didn’t last long, she continued operating the ice cream business. However, there was one problem—she didn’t have a driver’s license. Undeterred, she took the risk of driving the ice cream truck without one for two years. After that, she hired a licensed driver to accompany her for the next two years.

In 2008, her daughter Derya turned 21 and became a U.S. citizen, allowing her to help her mother obtain a green card. After nearly a decade of living undocumented in the U.S., Unutmaz finally renewed her driver’s license. That same year, she returned to Turkey for the first time in nine years.

Today, Tülay Unutmaz has been running Sam’s Ice Cream for 18 years. She serves customers at hotels like Hilton, Marriott, and Courtyard, as well as schools, parks, and senior homes. She reports that 2021, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, was their best year for sales. “The children I once sold ice cream to are now old enough to get married,” Unutmaz says with a smile.

The business has provided her with financial security, allowing her to purchase a home in Parsippany and make real estate investments back in Türkiye. “My American dream came true with an ice cream truck,” she says.

Her two eldest children are now CPAs, while her youngest son works as a financial advisor. Unutmaz continues to operate her ice cream business in Parsippany, spending her winters in Türkiye. She has one more dream she hopes to fulfill soon: to open her own café, where she plans to sell ice cream, coffee, and light snacks under her own brand. She’s still searching for the perfect name for this next venture. (Photo by Koray Kasap)