Salt & Straw Ice Cream Debuts Scoop Shop at Westfield UTC | Eater San Diego

"Opening just in time for Memorial Day weekend on Friday, May 26, I’m reporting that Salt & Straw’s new scoop shop in the Collection section of Westfield UTC Mall (joining Pacific Catch, BenGong’s Tea, and Pazza Market & Cucina) is the Portland-based company’s third San Diego location and one of 20 nationwide. Co-founder and head ice cream innovator Tyler Malek is bringing back a guest-chef flavor first created in 2018 with chef Brian Malarkey: beet ice cream spiraled with roasted beet and apple jam, mixed with a chevre goat cheese gelato and speckled with candied walnuts. The opening menu also features five Upcycled Food Series flavors that will remain on the board through the end of June—day-old bread pudding and chocolate ganache; cacao pulp and chocolate stracciatella gelato; and lemon curd and whey—designed to spotlight food-waste solutions. Two vegan options include salted caramel and okara cupcakes and a malted chocolate barley milk, the company’s first allergen-free non-sorbet-style ice cream. Salt & Straw’s store launches often involve collaborations with local purveyors like Thorn Brewing, Keys Creek Lavender, and Eclipse Chocolate; the UTC shop will also present a Student Inventors Series with Washington Elementary and will collect monetary donations for nearby Doyle Elementary. A spokesperson said there are no immediate plans to open more scoop shops right now, but Salt & Straw loves San Diego and remains open to finding more ways to bring its ice cream to the community." - Helen I. Hwang