FUN & ENTERTAINING
I’ll Take the High Road >> ExCLuSIvE nEw FAIRwAY ICE CREAmS
Chefs Keith Schroeder (L) and Steven Smith (R) of High Road Ice Cream
by Lori Jean Levy
A
dear college friend from Emory introduced me to Atlanta-based Chef Keith Schroeder a few years ago. I knew he was one to watch, an innovator indeed. Having found a small niche to fill, he transitioned his culinary career from savory to sweet, becoming the producer of indulgent, frozen creations which he sold mostly to other chefs and restaurateurs. Word spread quickly, and suddenly High Road was the talk of the South. With signature adult flavors like Brown Butter Praline (make sure you draw that out properly, “prawwww-liiiine”), Vanilla Fleur de Sel, and Bourbon Burnt Sugar, ice cream had surely come of age. Keith popped uptown this past October with his partner Chef Steven Smith after an unbelievably successful
showing at the 2013 New York City Wine and Food Festival. The lines were snaking down the block for their ice cream sandwich, which consisted of their insanely delicious Pistachio Honey Ricotta Gelato served between warm buttered slices of lightly toasted brioche. People begged for seconds and were getting irritable when told it wasn’t quite readily available yet throughout the city and the tristate area. They were working on it; hence, the Monday morning visit. We sat and talked, and tasted, of course. Oh my, the triedand-true faves and all of the not-yet-released flavors were laid out on the table before me. As I took a breath from sinking my spoon back into the unmarked white pint, which proudly now wears the name “Mr. Butterpants,” I
didn’t let on they had hit all of my favorite weaknesses, especially this one with the peanut butter in the ice cream. Keith and Steven are huge Fairway Market fans. Both were locals, in fact, until the ice cream biz took them to Atlanta, which is having an unbelievable culinary renaissance all its own these days. When the noise in NYC got louder, they knew exactly where they wanted to be. So, long story incredibly short, they plied me with some delicious gelatos and sorbets, and then we took a stroll through the Harlem store. I gathered all my favorite Fairway-branded specialty and bakery items, and packed them up in their white pickup truck, and waved good-bye by the West Side Highway. I wished them well, and told them not to call until they had played with each and every ingredient and created the perfect pints for Fairway.
The ensuing correspondence with them has been wickedly fun, as has been each and every meeting related to this project. In January, I went to visit the brand-new High Road Factory and Scoop Shop, which had just relocated from Chamblee to new, bigger digs in Marietta, GA. Joined by the rest of the team, we tasted the new EXCLUSIVE FAIRWAY FLAVORS made by High Road using some of our MOST FAVORITE specialty items. We look forward to launching our partnership with High Road Craft Ice Cream this spring. We look forward to hearing your reaction to these amazing flavors, which will be available only at Fairway Market. Your summer just improved, and you didn’t even know it. -f
Exclusive Fairway Flavors include
FIG & Saba A grown-up combination of our jammy Calabrian Artibel figs with hints of lemon and vanilla, along with a good drizzle of our Fairway Saba; thick, sweet, tart, and deeply satisfying. The color, texture, and flavor render this one “romantic” combination.
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FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
Frutti Di Bosco
Stracciatella
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
“F2H,” as we insiders refer to our ubiquitous favorite java blend, has legions of followers. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that our favorite beans would make for some scrumptious coffee ice cream. Add bakery-fresh coffee cake crumbs and a hint of cinnamon, and this pint just became a single-serve.
Another mystical creation of Italian red berries, Madagascar vanilla, and ribbons of Valrhona chocolate. Can you say mercy?
Ahhhhh, the pièce de résistance! Fairway Market’s exquisite extra virgin olive oil has been skillfully crafted into a smoothly textured, intensely satisfying gelato. This creation defies the laws of chemistry: excellence simplified.
COFFEE
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