Why do we like our food on a stick?  Probably because in some primal way, we all prefer to eat with our fingers and not with utensils. Somehow it tastes different. It gets into your mouth faster.  And face it, your kids will eat it if it’s on a stick.

You would expect to see food on a stick at a fair. Although the Minnesota State Fair might take the record for most foods ever sold on a stick (www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-5Lr2IhB_o) .

And at Oliver’s Chocolates in Ridgewood (www.oliverschocolates.com) they’ve elevated chocolate on a stick to a new art form. Computers, dinosaurs, elephants, firefighters, flags, paint brushes, dollar signs are among the items molded and sold as stick food. 

You would expect to find food on a stick in the freezer of your favorite supermarket. Way more than popsicles. Our home freezer is full of rejected, crystallizing impulse buys like tofutti–chocolate ice cream and frozen bananas.

You don’t expect to be holding a stick at one of the state’s premiere restaurants.

But David Burke, chef extraordinaire from The Fromagerie (www.fromagerierestaurant.com) in Rumson, is known for his creativity and sense of humor. So when he introduced his cheesecake lollipop tree (www.gourmetpops.com) we weren’t all that surprised.

The little sweet treats sprout like branches from the silver-plated tree. The lollipops have names like Cherry Pink Cashmere and Three Chocolate Tuxedo. There are plenty to go around, and you’ll still have room for other fine finishes to your meal.

The lollipop cheesecakes are also on the menu at Restaurant M.C. (www.restaurantmc.com/) in Millburn, where Burke is partner and consulting chef.   And you can order them on-line, along with the smoked salmon on a stick, and gourmet goat cheese pops.

Food on a stick. Fork it over!