Molly Moon Neitzel is, of course, the founder of Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream. It’s one of Seattle’s best known ice cream shops, and — in case you’re wondering — that is her real name.

“My parents were hippies,” Molly told us from the research & development kitchen at Molly Moons HQ on Capitol Hill.

Molly Moon’s runs eight ice cream shops around town — in Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Madrona, Queen Anne, U Village, 19th and Mercer, Redmond, and the newest in Columbia City. But it was at their colorful Capitol Hill headquarters where Molly showed us how to make “birthday cake” ice cream — complete with a cake batter and confetti frosting chunks the company whipped up for a special occasion: Molly Moon’s turned 10 years old this month. 🎂

• Who’s the dog on the iconic Molly Moon’s sign?
• Why did Molly go from running political campaigns while nannying while working at J. Crew to starting her own ice cream shop?
• Can Evergrey director Mónica Guzmán conduct an interview while eating an ice cream cone but without letting it drip all over her hand?
• Can you guess the set of other eponymous women-owned local businesses Molly loves if we just give you the first names — Rachel, Linda, and Robin?
• What’s the one way you can legit skip the out-the-door lines for ice cream on hot summer nights?
• And why in the world does Molly call her HQ ice cream machine Dumbo?

» The answers to all this and more are in our Facebook Live interview with Seattle’s Molly Moon. Go give it a watch, and hit reply to let us know what other local businesses we should make cool stuff with. 👍

Take back the head tax? Our city passed a new tax on big local companies last week after a couple weeks of really intense debate. As a result, companies making more than $20 million a year will owe the city $275 per employee per year. Seattle businesses fought the tax hard, and now they want to put a referendum on your ballot next November to repeal it. The first big hurdle? Collecting 17,632 signatures by June 15. (Crosscut, The Seattle Times)

‘A huge loss to our city.’ Someone who meant a lot to cyclists in Seattle died over the weekend doing what they loved. S.J. Brooks helped start Friends on Bikes Seattle, a group of women, trans, and non-binary people of color who’ve been taking on the two-wheeled life together since last fall. S.J. was killed in our state’s second deadly cougar attack in a century during a bike ride with a friend near North Bend. “While media outlets are fascinated by the rare circumstances of Brooks’ tragic death, Seattle needs space to talk about SJ’s life,” wrote bike blogger Tom Fucoloro. Know someone who knew S.J.? Email remembrances to [email protected]. (Seattle Bike Blog)

Lincoln, Leonardo, and FACTS. Every spring, Bill Gates publishes a list of his five fave books for summer reading. This year’s edition has a couple big bios, and two takes on facts — Factfulness gives “practical advice about how to overcome our innate biases” and Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved is partly about how “some ‘why’ questions can’t be answered satisfactorily with facts.” (GatesNotes)

‘Places we can be at home.’ The Central District, our city’s historically black neighborhood, is changing fast. Families who’ve been there for generations are getting pushed out, and Nikkita Oliver wrote a love letter to three places that keep people in. Nikkita’s an attorney, artist, and community organizer who’s done a lot the last couple years to turn up the volume on what our communities of color want to see in the city. And the three places she writes about — the Northwest African-American Museum, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, and the LEMS Life Enrichment Bookstore — are giving black Seattleites sanctuary. (Crosscut)

SUPER BUENO 🌮

Big time local chefs Ethan and Angela Stowell just opened their newest restaurant yesterday — Super Bueno in Fremont — and Angela expects they’ll serve a lot of cheese quesadillas. Why? The whole upper floor of this Mexican restaurant will be one big family-friendly paradise, complete with magna-tiles and a felt wall. You’re welcome, parents.

Have a good one. — The Evergrey