Salt & Straw 'Summer Picnic' Series Features Fried Chicken from Black-owned Seattle Restaurant

Salt & Straw Ice Cream will launch its Summer Picnic Series on Friday, August 4. First launched in 2022, this year’s menu welcomes back three returning favorites (Pink Rosé & Watermelon Sorbet, Baked Brie & Fig Cheesecake, and Cinnamon & Honey Fried Chicken), as well as two brand-new additions (Chocolate Potato Salad and Sour Cherry Pie). The ice cream shop describes the menu as "a thoughtfully curated five-course ice cream picnic."

Salt & Straw's Cinnamon & Honey Fried Chicken ice cream was made in partnership with Seattle-based Ezell’s Famous Chicken, a Black-owned fried chicken shop that Oprah claims serves her favorite fried chicken. Their Pink Rosé & Watermelon Sorbet was made in partnership with family-owned and operated Sokol Blosser winery, one of the first vineyards in the Dundee Hills; and Baked Brie & Fig Cheesecake ice cream, was made in partnership with Sonoma-based Cowgirl Creamery. 

From their menu: 

• Pink Rosé & Watermelon Sorbet (v)
  • First course: We start with a ripe watermelon and rosé punch that we pour into our ice cream maker and let it coalesce into an out-of-this-world juicy sorbet. Then, we drizzle in house-made raspberry rosé jam for a crisp tartness that carefully balances the sweetness of the wine.  
• Baked Brie & Fig Cheesecake 
  • Second course: A whipped brie cheesecake baked onto a candied ritz cracker crust, with dark ribbons of thick fig jam mixed into salted sweet cream ice cream.  
• Chocolate Potato Salad  
  • Of course, no picnic is complete without the potato salad—make that potato salad ice cream. It’s a must-try scoop of spiced mustard ice cream, perfectly summer-seasoned with paprika, celery seed, dill, the sweet crunch of potato chip cookies, and a thick ripple of chocolate fudge.   
• Cinnamon & Honey Fried Chicken
  • Fourth course: Savory, spicy and easy to love, this ice cream makes an unbelievable treat of Ezell's famous chicken. We start with fresh croissants, torn into bits. Deep-fry with chicken fat ‘til crispy perfection. Then churn into salted vanilla ice cream. A touch of cinnamon, splash of honey, and a shake of secret spices gives you sweet Cajun heat with pleasant pops and crackles.  
• Sour Cherry Pie  
  • Fifth course: Keep it simple and finish strong with a classic scoop of all-American cherry pie, studded with chunks of pie crust in a salted vanilla ice cream. The almond flour crust carries a delicate pop of flavor, and we hand-candy the cherries in our kitchen with a splash of amaretto.

All flavors are available at Salt & Straw scoop shops as scoops, pints and milkshakes; as well as available for local delivery. For more information, visit saltandstraw.com.