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It should be a joke. Who would ever think up ice cream flavors like Smoked Mac and Cheese? Turkey Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce? Pastrami on Rye?
But those are real flavors whipped up by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, who founded Salt & Straw ice cream in 2011 at a cart on Northeast Alberta Street. They have since grown into an icy behemoth with hundreds of employees and more than 40 locations across the country.
Kim Malek dreamed up the idea in 1996 while drinking coffee at a sidewalk cafe with Thomas Lauderdale. “He smoked clove cigarettes and we schemed about how to make the world a better place,” Malek says. She wanted to open a community business where people could gather, connect, and have a good time. She thought of an ice cream parlor: a place where kids could drop in after a rough day at school and couples could share a sweet ending to a first date. She says: “I specifically moved back to Portland to start Salt & Straw. We couldn’t have started anywhere else.” She sold her house, cashed out her 401(k), maxed out her credit cards, and took the plunge.
Her cousin Tyler was the mad genius who figured out how to make the unorthodox flavors from scratch. The result was something totally new: flavors like Strawberry Cilantro Lime Cheesecake.
From the beginning, the business was as much about the story as the product. The name Salt & Straw refers to the earliest origins of the frozen dessert when it was hand-cranked in salt-covered ice, then packed in straw to stay cool.
The flavors have stories, personalities, and even ethics frozen in. The Maleks team up with small, regional purveyors of artisan ingredients to find a formula that works. Their Pinot Poached Pear Sherbet, for example, was made with Sokol Blosser Winery.
And they support nonprofits through their flavors. Last spring, they offered Chocolate Caramel Potato Chip Banana Bread, made with bananas destined for the compost heap, sourced from Urban Gleaners, which addresses food waste and insecurity.
They’ve adopted the Portland Means Progress initiative, which means they offer team members competitive wages, guaranteed medical and dental insurance, parental leave, paid time off, and opportunities for career advancement — benefits too rare in the service industry.
Business has boomed, but S&S is still rooted in the best Portland spirit of standing up for positive change, finding your passion, taking risks. “We are proud to export this special essence of Portland to stages like Disney, New York and more,” Malek says. “People are craving these types of connections that make Portland so unique.” That’s another way of saying: You never know what you’re going to like unless you try it. Something that might be said of the recent Creepy Crawly Critters flavor, green matcha ice cream studded with crunchy chocolate crickets and toffee-brittle mealworms. Go ahead. We dare you.
Next Story > 2011: The Big Pipe
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