The Salty Donut Salt & Straw Ice Cream Release = Five Matches Made in Heaven

When Salt & Straw co-founders Kim and Tyler Malek dreamed up their ice cream business, the idea to focus on using local, artisan food crafters was at the forefront of their plans.

From a Portland, Oregon-based pushcart to a national brand, partnering with the best food purveyors has always been the crux of Salt & Straw's innovation.

Tyler Malek recalls working with a local chocolate maker for one of his first partnerships. The experience allowed him to learn the entire chocolate-making process, from sourcing different regions to roasting beans in order to achieve various flavor profiles.

Since then, the couple has met with salt makers, beer brewers, cheesemakers, and even charcuterie shops, and the learning process began anew.

"That was like a gateway," Malek tells New Times. "As a culinary-school dropout, partnering with local flavor makers was my own personal makeshift education and immersion into the food world.''

Today, partnering with other brands has become the Salt & Straw ethos for new flavor creation. Each month, stores across the nation tap into the genius behind other brands, using ice cream as a canvas to tell each unique story.

In Miami, that means experimenting with a plethora of Florida-inspired flavors, be it alongside Wynwood Brewing or Exquisito Chocolates or — this month — The Salty, with February's flavors dedicated to this particular partnership.
"This collaboration is very, very rare," says Tyler, of his newest limited-edition collaboration. "In most cases, we create a set of flavors, hoping to tell a story through a large swath of voices and perspectives. But with The Salty, it was completely different."

"On our kick-off call for the collaboration, it started off going through our Rolodex of ‘infamous’ Salty flavors," says Salty Donut cofounder Andy Rodriguez, who draws inspiration for doughnut flavors through unforgettable dishes, seasonal ingredients, and his travels.

The two businesses began working on ice cream flavors back in 2018, before Salt & Straw had officially selected its Miami locations. After sifting through dozens of ideas — and more than 20 flavors — they narrowed it down to the final five, available today at both the Wynwood and Coconut Grove stores.

According to Rodriguez, the team used the Salty's signature 24-hour raised brioche, baked into both cronuts and loaves that were deconstructed to create various flavors and textures using "soaks": liquid flavor infusions created to harness the essence of each doughnut.

They include the Boston Cream Donut (vanilla custard cream-filled bourbon caramelized brioche dough slathered in chocolate ganache), Ham & Jam (bacon and jelly), Death by Chocolate (a single origin chocolate ice cream mixed with chocolate frosted- and -filled chocolate cronuts), Wild Berry Slab Pie (berry pie filling mixed with salted vanilla ice cream), and the Horchata Donut (vanilla ice cream flecked with bits of glazed doughnut soaked in housemade horchata swirled with Valrhona Caramelia chocolate and topped with torched cinnamon meringue). Scoops start at $6.50, pints at $12.50.

"This was such a fun menu to dedicate to Valentine's Day," sums up Tyler. "The ice cream flavors were created and hand-packed with plenty of love."

The special collaborations are available through the month of February.

Salt & Straw. Wynwood: 246 NW 25th St., Miami, 786-633-0157. Coconut Grove at CocoWalk: 3015 Grand Ave., Miami; 786-633-0142; saltandstraw.com.