The Franklin Fountain is gearing up to release an experimental ice cream series, starting with a Charcuterie Board Flight featuring four ice cream flavors: Moliterno Cheese, Brie, Fig, and Olive Oil. “Ice cream is meant to be fun,” expressed chef Franny Zehmer. “Through my years managing the ice cream department my staff and myself have had so many what-if moments. What if we made this? What if we combined this and that? It got to the point where I asked myself, What if we actually took these ideas and made them a reality?”
Beginning this month, The Franklin Fountain isn't just introducing four flavors sold as a flight, but also two additional flavors made into pints—first up, there's Caramelized Garlic Toffee and Elderberry Goat Cheese—and these six flavors will exclusively be available as flights or pints, not by the scoop.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Savory-sweet Frozen Confections
- New flavor pairings that blend cheeses, olives and caramelized garlic with ice cream challenge traditional dessert norms and create premium niche offerings.
- Charcuterie-inspired Menu Experiments
- Restaurants and cafés are interpreting charcuterie concepts into tasting flights and hybrid dishes that expand cross-category culinary play.
- Limited-format Flavor Drops
- Releasing flavors exclusively as flights or pints cultivates scarcity-driven desirability and collectible culinary experiences.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Artisanal Ice Cream
- Small-Batch creameries exploring savory and botanical profiles can command higher price points and access specialty retail and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Culinary Retail Experiences
- Ice Cream Parlors adopting curated flights and exclusive releases transform storefronts into destination tasting venues with increased dwell time and event potential.
- Food Packaging and Distribution
- Novel, specialty flavors sold only in pints or curated sets create demand for premium packaging, tailored cold-chain logistics, and subscription-based fulfillment models.
