Moving into the 1,350 square-foot space that last housed Yogurtland in San Diego's Little Italy is Portland-based Salt & Straw, a farm-to-cone ice creamery that aims to open by year's end.
A family-run venture from the start, Salt & Straw was founded in 2011 by Kim Malek and her cousin Tyler, a culinary school graduate who is the mastermind behind the ice cream. The menu is based around small-batch ice cream in unique rotating flavors (more than 300 made so far) that are made with seasonal produce and local cream - like Freckled Chocolate Zucchini Bread and Green Fennel & Maple - all available in cup, cone, milkshake or takeaway pint. The modern ice cream parlor currently has 9 locations - one in San Francisco, five in Los Angeles, and three in Portland - with another branch currently underway in Seattle. The company also owns Wiz Bang Bar - a soft-serve dessert eatery in Portland.
Ice cream for the San Diego location of Salt & Straw will be made in Los Angeles using cream from Southern California-based Scott Brothers Dairy. The company hopes to establish partnerships with local food purveyors and companies to develop flavors using San Diego ingredients that are inspired by America's Finest City. The company also aims to do pop-up appearances in the area leading up to the Winter 2017 opening of the Little Italy branch.
