There’s something about ice cream that brings out the kid in all of us. So who better to suggest creative new flavor combinations than… well… kids?
Cream + Sugar, the artisan ice cream brand from Jackson Hole’s Fine Dining Restaurant Group, is looking to the valley’s kindergarteners for some delicious inspiration. Each month, they’re running a contest for kids from a local elementary school to submit their ideas. The winners, chosen by fans via Instagram, will have their creative concoction put on offer as a specialty ice cream at the Jackson Hole Scoop Shop on the Town Square for the following month.
“Kids were the main inspiration for the creation of Cream + Sugar and the whimsical flavors we create, so we’re always looking for ways to incorporate them into the fun and creativity of what we do,” said Kendra Alessandro, vice president of marketing and communications for the Fine Dining Restaurant Group. “One of our team members, Joel Tate, has a son in kindergarten and wanted to include him and his classmates into what we do at Cream + Sugar. We wanted to offer something that was fun, engaging and encouraged some of the lessons learned in kindergarten — working together, using creativity to approach activities, etc. — so we came up with the contest as a result of that. But we didn’t want to only include one school, we wanted every kindergarten class to be able to participate, so we contacted each school in Jackson to ask if they’d like to participate.”
The competition began in February, featuring a head-to-head lineup of suggestions from kindergarten students at Munger Mountain Elementary. The suggestions included a butterfly-inspired rainbow flavor called Wings, a Chocolate Rainbow blend that included raspberry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry and grape, and Rocky Mountain with a classic combination of cookie dough and chocolate chip. The winner, however, was “Blue Lake:” a tasteful pairing of blueberry and chocolate chip.
In March, students from Colter Elementary submitted ideas like Cherry Chocolate, and Cake Pop — both of which sounded tantalizing, but ultimately lost out to the key-lime inspired Lime Crunch. It’s on the menu through April, so be sure to swing in and snag a scoop before it goes! Flavor inventions from Jackson Elementary and Mountain Academy will be available on May 1 and June 1, with voting the month ahead.
Teachers, students, and customers have all given the creative endeavor an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Feedback has been great! The teachers have been really excited to have their kids participate, the kids who have created the winning flavor have been incredibly proud and as one Colter kindergartener said during their recent field trip with us: ‘This is the best day ever!’”
“We hope to continue it in the fall and incorporate other area schools and perhaps the new kindergarten classes,” Alessandro said. “Several of us have reflected on similar field trips we took as kids to grocery stores and how the experience stayed with us as adults and ultimately, that’s what we are trying to achieve: use our company to have a positive impact on kids in our area and beyond.”
