To end the year on a sweet note, Salt & Straw, a Portland-based ice cream company, is announcing the highly-anticipated opening of its first East Coast scoop shops in early 2021. The small-batch ice cream brand will open shops in Wynwood and Coconut Grove serving up their curiously delicious flavors as well as some Miami-inspired creations with local community partners. Wynwood (240 NW 25th St. Suite M) will open first in January 2021 with Coconut Grove (3015 Grand Ave #145) opening shortly after in February 2021.
“We are beyond excited and honored to be a part of the Miami community with our two new shops. Both Cocowalk and Wynwood are perfect for folks spending time exploring our ice cream flavors while enjoying time with their neighbors, friends and family,” says Kim Malek, Co-Founder & CEO of Salt & Straw. “Now more than ever, the new year ahead is about important new beginnings for all of us. We hope our ice cream will bring people together and create connections through fun taste adventures.”
Taking inspiration from Miami, Salt & Straw’s Co-founder and Head Ice Cream Maker, Tyler Malek, will create a locally sourced menu that reflects the flavors of Miami by using local ingredients. The scoop shops will feature handmade classic and seasonal ice creams, with new flavors rotating monthly, that tell the story of Miami chefs and artisans.
Salt & Straw’s all-time, cult classics such as Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Honey Lavender, Chocolate Gooey Brownie and Salted, Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough will be scooped at the Miami stores alongside unique flavors specific to the Magic City.
Miami Classic flavors will include:
Panther Coffee Chocolate Tres Leches: Full-bodied Panther espresso steeped two ways cultivating the perfect coffee ice cream to accompany the intense tres leches cake swirl made with cocoa, dark chocolate, and coconut-infused añejo rum from Coconut Cartel.
The Salty Donut Guava + Cheese: Family-run craft donut shoppe, The Salty Donut, makes works of art out of fried dough. Salt & Straw pays homage to a favorite, Guava + Cheese, with cream cheese ice cream, glazed brioche donut chunks, rich Florida guava curd, and puffed pastry streusel.
Wynwood Brewing Mango Habanero (v): Hop-heavy Laces IPA from Wynwood Brewing, Miami’s first craft brewery, mixed with a load of fresh habaneros and cooled off with Florida mangos and citrus. This beautifully clean, simple sorbet is as refreshingly quenchable as Wynwood Brewing’s beer.
Exquisito Chocolates Hazelnut Cookies & Cream (v): An unrestrained, ultra-creamy plant-based delight. Chocolate and coconut cream ice cream amped up with hazelnut butter, Little Havana’s Exquisito Chocolate Stracciatella, and tender homemade vegan, gluten-free Oreo cookie crumbs.
Salt & Straw will also be creating three (3) additional flavors that will be temporary for the stores’ opening months. These seasonal flavors will be:
Gables’ Delight Pineapple Coconut Cream Pie: Coconut cream pie gone rogue: One of Gables Delight’s most popular jams—pineapple coconut— layered into a vanilla ice cream along with sugar-dusted pie crust baked golden brown.
Bacon Biscuit Crumble w/ Pickle Caramel: An ode to a Miami staple. Just-roasted bacon bits naturally call for cheese, which together transform ordinary scones into a provocatively sweet-salty combo. It’s a perfect pairing for savory caramel finished with mustard and a lightly salted & peppered ice cream.
Salted Coconut Grapefruit Daquiri (v): Gorgeous, single-origin Guatemalan añejo sipping rum from Coconut Cartel gets mixed with fresh Florida grapefruit and puckery citrus bitters. Then, it is blended in with coconut cream and served straight for a lush escape.
“Miami has been building one of the most pronounced and creative food scenes in America, and I’m honored to slowly enter the city and try to put my own fingerprint on the industry,” says Salt & Straw Co-Founder and Head Ice Cream Maker, Tyler Malek. “What has excited me the most about the food in Miami is how wildly diverse and unique the ingredients are. For example, this is the only state in the continental U.S. growing cacao beans, and the first place I’ve ever seen fresh sapote. It’s hard not to get excited thinking about having these ingredients at our fingertips to create unique Salt & Straw ice cream flavors. Beyond that, the chefs in Miami are constantly blowing my mind.”
From day one, the shops will implement health and safety precautions in accordance with guidelines from the CDC, local government and health officials. Social distancing, capacity limitations, extensive sanitizing and mask requirements will all be part of the opening protocols.
Salt & Straw will hire over 20 local team members at each location. The company offers extensive training programs in the areas of hospitality, food safety and leadership, as well as benefits that include access to affordable, high-quality health care, family leave, employee assistance, disability insurance and paid time off for both full- and part-time employees.
The Miami shops in Wynwood and Coconut Grove will represent the iconic Salt & Straw design, with curved oak edges, parquet wood inlay, custom terrazzo flooring and bespoke abstract waffle cone walls, creating a mood that’s both nostalgic and modern. Inspired by becoming a gathering place for the community, these spaces will showcase design direction from longtime partner, Portland-based Osmose Design, in tandem with Kim and Tyler, to create a warm, welcoming neighborhood spot to explore unbelievable ice cream flavors and connect with one another.
Salt & Straw will open its Wynwood location at 240 NW 25th St. Suite M in January 2021; Coconut Grove will open at 3015 Grand Ave #145 in February 2021.