A New Tome Delves into the Story Behind Salt & Straw's Rich Ice Cream Flavors

Salt & Straw’s menus and flavors are 100 percent unique to each location and incorporate local ingredients.

Just in time for summer, Tyler Malek, co-founder of ice cream mecca Salt & Straw, along with famed food writer JJ Goode, penned the brand’s first cookbook, and it’s oh-so-sweet. Chock-full of recipes by Tyler and his cousin and co-founder, Kim Malek, such as fan favorite smoked sea salt and chocolate crack, the Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook ($25, Clarkson Potter) goes a step further, delving deeper into the business’ unique origin story. Starting out absolutely clueless, Tyler and Kim approached their venture with open minds (and stomachs) by partnering with local artisans and chefs to create flavor profiles inspired by local ingredients. This idea of “creating local everywhere” quickly became the driving force of the brand—especially as a way to keep each new location specialized. “I learned how to create flavors by distilling the stories and techniques from those around me,” says Tyler. “I hope people pick this [cookbook] up and are fired up about hunting down local flavors and ingredients.” If you’re feeling inspired to create your own knockout flavor, Salt & Straw’s easy-to-make base recipe is ready to be mixed with infinite local San Diego ingredients—and we’re ready to try it.