I've met a lot of people in my life. It's really rare to find people who are really passionate with what they do. After meeting Tyler, who we called the Chief Churner Officer (any many other names), we feel that Salt & Straw represents the real passion chasers out there. Tyler was literally traveling in Beijing when he realized where his heart belonged. To be on the literal scale, he packed his bags from Seattle and headed to Portland to attend culinary school.
It was also a coincidence that his cousin Kim, who is also the founder of Salt & Straw, was then pursuing her dreams of opening an ice cream scoop shop. It took no time before these 2 masters collaborated and worked out something more than delicious flavors of ice cream, but really developed a story into what they do.
I felt extremely privileged to have met Tyler. He was smart, funny, and wickedly genius with his flavor combinations. I would say he's like the Willy Wonka of ice cream. It's amazing how Salt & Straw which was originally from Portland, has made their trademark in Los Angeles with little to no effort at all. They love what they do. And I can honestly say it comes through with their product. Not only are they artisans with their ice creams, but they also incorporate local business ingredients into their creations. An example is their "May Flowers" flavor. One of the creations was called Wild Honey with Ricotta Walnut Lace Cookies. The honey that was used was from Massey Honey Co, a local Los Angeles/ Orange County apiary where the honey is extracted by hand and strained.
We've tried most if not all of their flavors. Everything we had was delicious. Perfect. And executed without flaws like a perfect round on Chopped. A few of my favorites Stumptown Coffee & Compartes Love Nuts, Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbon, Freckled Woodblock Chocolate, Rhubarb Crumble with toasted anise (May Flower special), Wild Honey with Ricotta Walnut Lace Cookies, and Black Olive Brittle & Goat cheese if you are a HUGE goat cheese fan. These are some of the favorites to name a few.
This here was my favorite combination. Tyler randomly scooped these for us without knowing. Sea Salt with caramel ribbons on the bottom and Stumptown Coffee & Compartes Love Nuts on top. There's no other way to describe it besides DELICIOUS and Decadent.
Studio City is their newest location that just opened recently. I highly recommend you check it out. Easy parking with tons of friendly patrons. I'm hooked. You just might see me there.
12180 1/2 Ventura Blvd. Los Angeles, CA - 10AM - 11PM Daily - (818) 358-2890
**Stay tuned. They will be opening up another location in the Arts District in DTLA**
