What started out with an ice cream maker from Goodwill in a basement has now turned into a nationwide ice cream chain reinventing the way Americans experience buying ice cream.
Salt & Straw co-founder Kim Malek explained how she and her cousin Tyler Malek started out with simple beginnings to growing into 58 locations, with more on the way.
“I really had this passion for creating community gathering places,” Kim Malek said. “That was my inspiration and why I wanted to open a scoop shop.”
The origins of Salt & Straw
Riley Shelton and Daisy Nielson laugh as they sample ice cream during a preview event for media and influencers at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
In 2011, the duo started selling ice cream in the Arts District in Portland, Oregon, from a pushcart. Malek had been dreaming about starting an ice cream shop for the last 10 years.
Tyler Malek had been studying business and living in China when he decided to switch gears to help make Kim Malek’s dream happen. He purchased an ice cream maker from Goodwill and enrolled in culinary school.
Within just four years of opening, Tyler was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for “changing the way America eats ice cream.”
The ‘busiest’ opening of Salt & Straw yet
Fio Wallentine, an influencer who uses the handle @fio_wallentine, reacts as she gets her ice cream from Dylan Woodruff, Salt & Straw shift coordinator, during a preview event for media and influencers at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
Salt & Straw opened its first shop in the state of Utah recently and experienced their “busiest” opening in the “company’s history.”
“And we have a store at Disneyland, so that’s saying a lot, if you know what I mean,” Kim Malek said.
They had been eyeing the state for a while, since Utah is known as a “true sweets connoisseur.” The shop is located in Mountain View Village in Riverton, and a shop in Trolley Square in Salt Lake City will also be opening before the end of the year.
Alice Dunnigan, 6, eats ice cream during a preview event for media, influencers and their guests at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
“The cool thing for me is seeing families coming together and neighbors meeting up,” Kim Malek said. “And to this day, that’s what really inspires us. And it was just such a mind-blowing moment to see that happening in Salt Lake.”
Malek praised the staff for truly grasping the vision of sharing the ice cream experience with guests.
“I was just moved being there with them of how much they were connecting with the guests that were coming in and with each other,” Kim Malek said. “I think we need that more in the world than ever right now. And so providing that human connection and community gathering place is just really such an honor.”
Redefining the ice cream experience
Ice cream is pictured during a preview event for media and influencers at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Each month, Salt & Straw changes its menu, adding in seasonal flavors and highlighting new ice cream experiences.
“My cousin is a trained chef and has some of the top culinary talents in the United States on his team building these flavors,” Kim Malek said. “So there’s definitely like an epicurean quality to all of the flavors that we come out with.”
Coming into a Salt & Straw is “like a taste adventure.” The team serving the ice cream goes through rigorous training to learn all the details and stories behind each and every flavor for every month.
A woman walks in to Salt & Straw during a preview event for media and influencers, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
“We want it to almost be like going to a fine dining restaurant where you can learn about the ingredient stories and how we came up with the flavor and the people and makers behind the flavors that we’re selling,” Kim Malek said.
When you arrive at a Salt & Straw shop, every detail is thought out. From the hand-carved wood at the bar to the special patterns for the tile and artwork throughout the store that’s proprietary to them, everything in the shop is meant to feel “reminiscent of ice cream in a really abstract, beautiful, artistic way.”
“We try to make it a very transportive experience,” Kim Malek said. “So there’s been a woman working with me since I very first started Salt & Straw, and she designs our stores to kind of look and feel like reminiscent of a modern-day mercantile is what we call it.”
What I ordered
Ice cream is pictured during a preview event for media and influencers at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
I stopped by the shop and was delighted by how well taken care of I felt from the second I entered.
The staff was friendly and helpful and willing to let me try out as many flavors as I wanted before settling on one for my scoop.
The flavors are unique and inventive — from a pumpkin spiced flavor with pumpkin bread mixed in to a candycopia that includes handmade candy bar pieces in every bite.
I ultimately selected a standard menu item for my ice cream scoop and went with the strawberry balsamic glaze.
It’s a strawberry based ice cream drizzled in balsamic vinegar that kind of tastes like a citrus-y jam and comes with cubeb black pepper that coaxes out the acidity and brightness of the whole experience.
I plan on going back in November to check out their Thanksgiving menu, which includes everything from stuffing to sweet potatoes to candied turkey. There’s also a Parker House rolls flavor that I hear is a cult favorite that tastes buttery and sweet at the same time.
“We’re willing to really go to places, you know, that we think would be interesting and taste really good that are maybe different food trends or taking our inspiration from different places that you might not normally find in ice cream,” Malek said.
Ice cream is pictured during a preview event for media and influencers at Salt & Straw, before it officially opens, in Riverton on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
