The Häagen-Dazs brand has launched the City Sweets Collection that is inspired by the decadent, iconic treats that you find from street vendors in beloved cities, featuring five new flavors that are available for purchase nationwide. Through August, two of the best-selling City Sweets flavors, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel and Black & White Cookie are available in all Häagen-Dazs Shops nationwide.
To celebrate the launch of these two exciting new flavors in Häagen-Dazs Shops and continue to elevate the next generation of talented creatives as part of its #ThatsDazs campaign mission, Häagen-Dazs Shops are partnering with award winning Washington, D.C. pastry chef and tastemaker, Paola Velez. In Häagen-Dazs Shops exclusively, Velez and Häagen-Dazs Shops are introducing a new, limited-edition PB&J Sundae, which will be available starting June 15. Featured on the cover of FSR magazine’s Rising Stars issue and named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2021, Velez creates joyful desserts and colorful pastries, using baking to make the world a better place. In line with the Häagen-Dazs brand, Belez is passionate about making the hospitality industry more fair and equitable and has helped Häagen-Dazs share this message on social media through her artful creations.
“Since the beginning of our #ThatsDazs campaign in 2021, Paola has been such a positive and engaging voice for our new brand identity and community,” says Elizabell Marquez, CMO at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. “Once we recognized that Paola’s bright spirit and passion for baking with Häagen-Dazs was synonymous with our support for rising culinary talent, we knew there was a larger collaboration to dream up.”
For anyone who grew up eating PB&J, the recipe offers a modern twist on the classic lunchbox staple. The City Sweets–inspired PB&J Sundae recipe uses Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel ice cream as the foundation, pairing it with slightly salty pretzel pieces and savory peanut butter flavors. By adding a spoonful of jam and slices of banana, this dessert feels instantly nostalgic and unexpected with each bite.
As part of Velez’s partnership with Häagen-Dazs Shops, an amount equal to 10 percent of sales of the proceeds of the PB&J Sundae during the promotional period (June 15 through August 31) will be donated to Dreaming Out Loud, a nonprofit organization selected by Velez that supports underrepresented food entrepreneurs. Dreaming Out Loud rebuilds urban, community-based food systems through social enterprise. Dreaming Out Loud believes that all communities deserve equal access to fresh, healthy food choices, but that achieving this requires a focus on community, self-determination, and food sovereignty. The donation will aid the Dreaming Out Loud mission for the most marginalized communities, utilizing the food system as the catalyst for positive change.
“I am the daughter of an immigrant from the Bronx, once I found out that the founders of Häagen Dazs were also immigrants that settled in the Bronx, the chemistry was electric,” Velez says. “I’m proud to be able to create a sundae for Häagen Dazs and share the proceeds of this delicious creation with Dreaming Out Loud. I hope to not only inspire the culinary community but support the next generation of tastemakers, dreamers, and way-makers right here in our Nation’s capital.”
