Pittsburgh Artist Creates Blackout Brownie Ice Cream Flavor For Black History Month
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A new local ice cream flavor called Blackout Brownie is debuting at select Giant Eagle Market District stores this month.
"I wanted to do something to help out with things going on in the world, but I didn't know quite what to do," said Cue Perry, a Pittsburgh artist.
So how do you make a difference without hitting the streets? That's where co-owner of Millie's Ice Cream, Lauren Townsend, comes into the picture.
"We decided to make a flavor with Cue. It's his flavor, he came up with the concept," Townsend said.
Perry and Townsend met years ago, but Townsend and her husband purchased art from Perry. Rather than doing an art show during a pandemic, they created Blackout Brownie for Black History Month.
"We've been a Pittsburgh brand. We've always looked to collaborate with local makers and artists, and this was an exciting opportunity to do that for a bigger cause," Townsend said.
The packaging was designed by Perry himself, and the brownies inside are from Wild Rise Bakery, a black-owned business in Wilkinsburg. The message behind it all is to spread awareness.
"All the colors in the art world, when you mix them together, they create black and that's symbolic of us working in harmony. Without unity and harmony, there is no art," Perry said.
With 10,000 pints of ice cream, Perry hopes the flavor will last beyond the month of February as a portion of the proceeds from each pint will go to help social justice efforts in the city.
"I think it's really neat that people who may or may not be aware of what's going on in the world or it's their first time being exposed to the issues through ice cream," Perry said.
The painting that is featured on the packaging is hung at Millie's manufacturing factory in Homestead.
Giant Eagle is also supporting the limited-edition ice cream at Market District locations. The chain is highlighting a variety of local Black-owned brands, including Powerbites! And Uncle Jammy's Sauces throughout Black History Month.