This is definitely our favorite ice cream charity partnership ever.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, the former Portland transportation commissioner who now chairs the Congressional Bike Caucus, has teamed up with booming Portland ice cream shop Salt & Straw to translate his personal fruitcake recipe into a seasonal ice cream flavor and donate the profits to the Community Cycling Center’s holiday bike drive.
As you can see in the video above, this started when Blumenauer (who has made holiday fruitcake for friends and acquaintances for years, based on a recipe he found in — this might be my favorite part — the New York Times Magazine) happened to deliver a loaf to Salt & Straw’s owners last holiday season.
One thing led to another.
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“Oh, it’s great,” Community Cycling Center CEO Mychal Tetteh said Wednesday. “You find that there’s some relatively rectangular piece of fruitcake in there, and you’re like, ‘Oh gosh.’ But it’s actually really good because it’s actually preserved fruitcake within this small-batch ice cream. I’ve never had anything like it.”
He said his taste had been affirmed on Tuesday when a four-year-old sampled it at a tasting event and gave her approval.
“You know she’s not gonna lie,” Tetteh said.
The seasonal flavor goes on sale this weekend.
If you, like us, are fans both of Salt & Straw and of the CCC’s work to help everyone enjoy bikes, you can support them directly via Willamette Week’s GiveGuide.
Give at least $10 on Dec. 11, and you’ll even be entered in a drawing to win a Salt & Straw ice cream party (and presumably any flavors you’d like).