Ice cream enthusiasts, this might actually make you scream with glee: Portland’s beloved ice cream shop, Salt & Straw, is expanding to San Diego, with a scoop shop planned for Little Italy.
The company announced this week that it will open up shop at 1670 India St. this winter. The shop is right below the PrepKitchen restaurant. The location will be the first-ever Salt & Straw in San Diego. Construction on the 1,350-square-foot space begins this fall.
The ice cream company is known for its handcrafted, small-batch scoops, in cool, gourmet flavors like Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Honey Lavender, Freckled Woodblock Chocolate and Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache. The recipes are made with all-natural cream from Scott Brothers Dairy in Southern California, churned in small five to 10-gallon batches.
The menu also features seasonal flavors, which rotate monthly, created with locally-sourced ingredients. The company says the San Diego location will include flavors inspired by the food scene in America’s Finest City, utilizing produce from local farmers and ingredients from local artisans.
The flavors will be created by Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek.
“It's a dream come true to have the opportunity to work in the San Diego food community,” Malek said in a press release. “When you look at the success and innovation of local chefs, breweries, farmers, fishermen, wineries, bakers, etc., it's hard not to get excited about jumping in to build on this creative food scene and develop menus in partnership with these amazing folks.”
“When I look at chefs like Brian Malarkey, the farmers markets like Little Italy Mercato and nonprofits like Feeding San Diego, it’s clear San Diego has become an incubator for pushing the limits on how food should be grown, prepared, served and shared. It's hard not to look at San Diego as a sister-city to Portland...maybe with slightly warmer weather and an entirely new crop of ingredients to play with,” he added.
If you ever visit Salt & Straw’s flagship location in Portland, you’ll likely be met with a long line that, at times, extends out the front door.
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To build that same kind of buzz for the San Diego scoop shop, the company plans to host a series of pop-up events in the months leading to the grand opening. Those events will be announced on the company’s Facebook page.
In addition to ice cream, Salt & Straw is rooted in the communities it serves, including supporting local schools and raising awareness for issues like equal rights and childhood hunger. Its founders – cousins Kim and Tyler Malek – plan to bring that mission to San Diego, too, and get involved with local organizations.
The family-run ice cream company founded in Portland got its start in 2011 as a red-and-white striped ice cream cart. Today, Salt & Straw operates shops in Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Later this year, a location will open in Seattle and then, comes San Diego.
