We all scream for kid-invented ice cream
Would you eat an ice cream flavor invented by kids? What if it was made with cheddar cheese?
Salt & Straw, the Portland, Ore., ice cream shop that opened outposts in San Francisco last year, is no stranger to outlandish flavors. And this month it debuts five new flavors created by students at San Francisco’s Dr. William L. Cobb and Rosa Parks elementary schools
Salt & Straw selected schools located within the neighborhoods of its scoop shops in Hayes Valley and Pacific Heights, and then gave presentations about co-founder and head ice-cream maker Tyler Malek’s job and the ice-cream making process. The company worked with schools to create an “Ice Cream Inventing Assignment” for students, where the students conceptualized their ideal ice cream by drawing and describing their favorite flavors, ingredients and combinations.
The process culminated with Malek selecting his top picks from each school.
Cobb students contributed two flavor inspirations: The
Cookie Monster (blue-tinted vanilla ice cream with chunks of black fudge and Oreo cookies) and Spring Flower Cream (spearmint ice cream with fresh mint, flower petals and chocolate stracciatella).
Rosa Parks elementary inspired three flavors, including the Mango Tango (mango sherbet, maraschino cherry swirls and spicy sprinkles) and Rose & Lavender Petals (roselime sherbet swirled with lavendervanilla sherbet and bedazzled with edible green glitter).
Their third flavor, Lots a’ Nacho, is the most outlandish of the five concoctions, featuring cheddar cheese ice cream with tomato jam, candied tortilla chips and avocado fudge.
All five ice creams will be available at Salt & Straw’s shops at 587 Hayes St. and 2201 Fillmore St. throughout the month of April. Best of all, a portion of the proceeds will go to the schools.
If any of the flavors prove especially popular with customers, there’s the possibility they will return during the company’s Vote Back Your Favorites series, which takes place each March. — Sarah Fritsche, sfritsche@sfchronicle.com
Dreams come true: Last fall, there was a palpable nervousness in Heena
Patel’s voice as she sat onstage in front of more than 120 people at the Swedish American Hall. With her hands set neatly on her lap, clasped around speaking notes, she talked to the crowd about her life, her family and her career as a chef in San Francisco running a roaming Western Indian food business named Rasoi.
At the end of the speech, the lilting effect of nerves gone from her voice, she shared with the crowd what before had been a personal secret: “I dream of stars … Michelin stars,” she said.
Fast-forward a few months, and Patel is upstairs at La Cocina, the incubator kitchen where in 2014 she launched her business. Patel is once again talking about that Michelin dream, only now she knows it’s closer than ever to becoming a reality.
Patel is opening Besharam ,an upscale Indian restaurant focusing on her native Gujarati recipes; think of it as a more elevated version of Rasoi. For the project, Patel is working with Bay Area restaurateur Daniel Patterson and his Alta Group, much like Reem Assil, who has a similar arrangement to open Dyafa in Oakland.
Patel is taking over the Dogpatch Alta space, which Patterson opened last year in the Minnesota Street Project (1275 Minnesota St.). The Alta Group team said a final service date has yet to be set for the Alta restaurant, but it could be in late April. Patel hopes to open Besharam in May.
For the uninitiated, Patel’s Rasoi is known for eclectic takes on traditional Western Indian fare, like channa masala with fenugreek leaves, or naan made with blue cheese. Her concoctions built Rasoi a cult following at the Ferry Plaza market, where she has a stand on Tuesdays and Saturdays. More of the same experimentation will happen at Besharam, Patel said, the name of which is a Hindu/Urdo word basically meaning “shameless.”
“I’ve always wanted my food to be presented on a different platform. I wanted a place where people weren’t standing up or rushing while they ate,” Patel said. “With this, I have a platform I’ve never had before, which means there are things I can do that I’ve never done before.”
Her passion received a boost a few years ago when Patel worked with highly acclaimed State Bird Provisions as part of a dinner event. Patel prepared a dessert of ras malai as part of a collaborative menu with other chefs, all of whom loved it, she said.
It was in that moment that she realized a restaurant was possible.
“I knew I had something. It was nice to get that attention from them and to hear them tell me that,” she said, adding that the State Bird Provisions service model might even be reflected in Besharam.
When she isn’t daydreaming of ways to introduce people to pav bhaji or khichdi, Patel said she’s off learning more about dishes like Japanese miso and kimchi, flavors that could somehow find their way incorporated into the Besharam menu.
Besharam marks a new chapter in her life as a chef, one that a year ago she could only dream about. Patel acknowledged she has a lot to learn about the business, but like her culinary journey, it’s the potential for exploration that she’s most excited about.
“I’m ready for the next challenge,” she said. “I’m going to do things my way. Shameless, rebellious —that’s what Besharam will be.”