Flavors of the Month
Interview with Tyler Malek, Co-Founder & Head Ice Cream Maker at Salt & Straw
How did you start Salt and Straw?
My cousin, Kim, had been working on the concept of Salt & Straw for nearly 15 years before we ever even started making ice cream. I remember, in 2011, she finally confessed to me what she was working on and, incredibly inspired by her vision, I pleaded with her to let me help launch the company. Within a week, I packed everything I owned into my blue Subaru, moved into Kim's basement, and started making ice cream to sell at our cart. Our first few years at Salt & Straw were insane, fun, and terrifying. The entire city of Portland, OR completely embraced our unique style of storytelling and imaginative flavors. What was particularly exciting was how the food community really took us in, helped us design flavors, and helped me find my culinary voice. As we built the company over the first couple of years, we quickly created our own style of running an ice cream company. For example, at Salt & Straw we launch a new set of flavors on the first Friday of every month! Always pushing the limit on creating new themes and fun storylines. When you visit a Salt & Straw, you'll be encouraged to slow down and taste ALL of the flavors because that tasting journey is just as important for our guests as the actual ice cream. We've built an incredibly unique style of service and experience in our ice cream shops (one of the main reasons we've been lucky to have investors like Danny Meyer and Dwayne Johnson) and we're excited to share that experience with more people on the east coast!
What is it like working with family?
Kim and I love working together! Our creative styles have grown together in a way that is really incredible, we can challenge each other but also are very good at knowing when to trust the other person. Being family, there's also a set of unique values and culture that is the background and helps guide us. We both have the same drive and spirit for growing something new for the world while also having a bit of extra grit thanks to our Montana roots.
How do you get your ice cream to taste like cinnamon and honey fried chicken?
It is so freaking delicious! Honestly, this was one of the most difficult flavors we've ever created at Salt & Straw and would never be possible if not for a LOT of help from our friends at Ezell's Chicken. We knew that we had to create a "pastry" version of the fried chicken skin so started there. The real trick that unlocked that delicious "skin" texture was to rip apart fresh croissants and deep fry them in chicken fat, letting the intensely savory fat to fry directly into all the pockets of the croissant. Nailing the spice profile was a labor of love and lots of back-and-forth tastings with Lewis, founder of Ezells. We started with their exact ratio of spices and then started manipulating it to make sure it married with the sweet ice cream. Overall, the texture and flavor is like nothing I've ever tasted. It's clean and simple and, if you didn't know better, you'd just think it was a pleasantly spiced, slightly savory, super crunchy, regular old ice cream... but, if you know, you know.
Your ice cream shops are popping up all over the country. Do you have a favorite yet?
No favorites! We just opened our most recent shop at Disney World and we've been incredibly excited because we get to bring a style of service and flavor to the parks that fits perfectly into Disney's transportive nature. We feel like ice cream tasting at Disney World is like taking a ride with all of our flavor stories.
Where is your next spot?
We're still growing a lot in Florida and Miami and have been focused on finding more locations there. It's honestly so fun to be a part of the food scene that is blowing up in that city and to bring our perspective of desserts to that main stage.
Your ice cream tells a meaningful story. How do you choose your social causes?
We feel strongly that a strong business only exists in a strong community. There are quite a few projects that we support and work closely with at Salt & Straw but an overarching through-line is that we try to highlight and support causes that help provide basic rights within our community. This includes reducing food waste and creating access for healthy foods for local families, supporting access and funding for necessary healthcare, supporting access to basic resources in the justice system, and more. If we don't fight to ensure everyone in our community is able to bring their whole and best self to the table, then, as a company, we will be failing to create the "legendary experiences" that we are so well known for.
