Attn: Taco Bell loyalists!! If you haven’t already heard, Salt & Straw co-founder, head chef, and ice cream innovator Tyler Malek, just launched an iconic collab with Taco Bell to create an updated version of our favorite childhood treat: the Chaco Taco.
We’re talking hand-pressed waffle cones filled with cinnamon ancho chile ice cream dipped in single-origin chocolate, and studded with toasted brown rice.
These updated CT’s are additionally served with three custom sauce packets including Chocolate Chili, Cinnamon Wild Berry and Mango Jalapeño, and a tangy cheesecake dip. We interviewed Malek to get to know how Salt & Straw and the Chaco Taco came to be. Enjoy the ice cream BTS!
What is your title and where are you from?
Co-founder and head ice cream maker, Seattle, WA
What is the story behind Salt & Straw?
My cousin, Kim, and I founded Salt & Straw with the hope of creating a neighborhood gathering space where friends and loved ones could come together and learn more about their communities. We knew ice cream would be the perfect platform to tell stories of the artisans and creators in our communities, and we use our rotating menus to showcase the seasonality of ingredients, food movements, and important social causes.
How did you fall into ice cream?
I was pursuing a degree in Chinese and Business and was actually getting ready to move to Beijing when a family member fell sick. I came back home and fell in love with cooking because it brought us all together, in good times and in bad. This inspired me to go to culinary school. When I heard about Kim’s plans to start her own ice cream company, I immediately dropped out to help her. I fell into ice cream because of the creativity that comes with it—it opens up so many opportunities to explore different flavor combinations and tell different stories.
Did you always know you wanted to be sold nationwide?
We actually began shipping nationwide the first month we started scooping! We were getting featured in some incredible publications, and people were in love with the stories we were telling through ice cream and wanted to try our rotating monthly menus. So we’ve been shipping our ice cream across the country ever since.
What has been your favorite flavor over the years?
Oh, man. My favorite flavor changes literally every month. Right now, we’re testing out our berries flavors for July so I’m eating a lot of our Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero flavor and it’s getting me so excited for summer.
Has Taco Bell always been a dream collaboration for you?
I would have never dreamt of this partnership when we first started scooping out of a pushcart. But Taco Bell’s level of sheer innovation on the scale they’re working at is absolutely awe-inspiring. When we started meeting with their team and working on ideas together, we knew this would be an epic collaboration.
What's your favorite Taco Bell menu item?
I can’t stop eating their new Cheesy Chicken Crispanada. You have to try it.