A new year, a new collection of sweet bites.
HUB Ice Cream Parlor is celebrating the arrival of 2022 with a fleet of “super-charged flavors” featuring superfoods from avocado to indigenous corn. The new additions are showing up just in time for the season that brings healthier habits, exercise, and mindful thinking when it comes to what’s being digested.
Healthier desserts with super ingredients
“When I started thinking about the new year, I thought it would be fun to play with healthy ingredients that might be a bit unexpected for ice cream,” said Kristel Johnson, General Manager of HUB Ice Cream.
HUB Ice Cream is considering its new ice cream a “cheeky play on healthy” food, which is making its debut on a tour around Tucson on Saturday, January 8 – Sunday, January 9. In the shop, the superfood flavors will be available during the month of January — dubbed “HUBIceCreamersize Month” with a fun 80’s exercise theme.
HUB Ice Cream collaborated with others, too, using superfood ingredients and local products from Native Seed Search and the Food Conspiracy Co-Op. For example, the corn pinole used in the Chocolate-Corn Pinole ice cream is an ancient heirloom Pima 60-day corn — known for its flavor and packed with nutrients and protein.
Another flavor you oughta try is the Pretty in Pink sorbet, which is completely sourced from the Sonoran Desert and features barrel cactus seeds (reminiscent of chia seeds). The seeds add a bit of a crunch and boost of nutrition to the bright prickly pear base.
“I hope these new flavors surprise and delight,” said Johnson.
Featured Sulperfood Ice Cream Flavors
- Guac This Way – local desert honey and Mexican avocado ice cream. It’s sweet and creamy and the avocado lends a rich texture
- Chocolate-Corn Pinole – French cocoa and corn pinole (from Native Seeds Search). Corn is harvested and roasted on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, AZ. It’s a deeply roasted chocolate with a mesquite/pinole flavor
- Berry Fit (vegan)– Antioxidant-rich berries including acai, blueberry, and pomegranate with added whey protein powder churned into a coconut milk vegan base. Tastes like a berry smoothie
- Pretty in Pink (vegan) – A sweet and sour sorbet with organic prickly pear cactus juice locally sourced from Amado, AZ, with roasted barrel cactus seeds (from Native Seeds Search) sourced from Nogales, AZ. All ingredients are locally sourced from the Sonoran desert, including the sugar cane from Mexico. Uniquely sweet prickly pear cactus fruit juice mixed with lime juice into a vegan sorbet, and a fun crunch of barrel cactus seeds
- Golden Milk (vegan) – A comforting superfood combination of organic turmeric, fresh ginger, and cinnamon steeped into coconut milk
Upcoming Ice Cream Truck Road Trip
As mentioned earlier, HUB’s vintage ice cream truck will be offering free samples of the new flavors on Saturday, January 8 – Sunday, January 9 during its local road trip. The vintage truck will make stops at “active locations” around Tucson, including the Food Conspiracy Co-Op, the trailhead at Tumamoc, Sabino Canyon, and more.
Keep an eye out for when and where the vintage truck will end up by following HUB Ice Cream on Facebook.
Additionally, during the month of January, all FIT Tucson, Yoga Oasis, and Let’s Sweat members will receive a dollar off the limited-run superfood flavors after classes. On top of that, HUB Ice Cream will be offering $25 giveaways on Instagram throughout the month, and certain themed shirts will also be on sale.
HUB Ice Cream Parlor is located at 245 E. Congress St. For more information, visit thehubicecream.com.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
