MOROCCAN CARAMEL SWIRL WITH RAS EL HANOUT
Gayle and John of Foreign Cinema joined us to create a warmly spiced flavor inspired by their Mediterranean influenced cuisine and love of sensory storytelling. Together with their chef Ahmad, they crafted a custom ras el hanout blend, a complex Moroccan medley of 11 spices—cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, lavender, sumac, and turmeric—which we infuse into a golden caramel swirl winding through creamy vanilla ice cream. Each scoop evokes a cinematic journey to Marrakesh, with a different spice revealing itself to each person for a unique and wondrous experience.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF FOREIGN CINEMA
Introducing Moroccan Caramel Swirl with Ras el Hanout: This quietly celebratory flavor evokes the warmth of the holidays and the brightness of a new year, the symbol of new beginnings. In the early years of opening the restaurant, Gayle and John were caught up in the excitement of building Foreign Cinema. As they missed traveling during that intense time that required their physical presence, they brought the spirit of travel into their kitchen, diving into international cookbooks and exploring new and lesser-known spice shops. Cooking has been their way of taking a sensory trip: savoring the herbaceousness of the Provence, the warmth of southern Italy, and the depth of North African spice markets. Each dish transports their guests, even for the length of a single dinner, offering a moment of escape. Foreign Cinema’s iconic outdoor courtyard, where iconic movies are projected on a large screen at night, adds to this spirit of sensory transport.
Ras el hanout is a signature element in their kitchen—a deeply personal, evolving blend that layers aromatic complexity into their creations. Each iteration of the spice is unique, much like a perfumer crafting a scent, and reflects their philosophy that even well-known ingredients can surprise and delight when they’re combined in new ways.
For this collaboration, Gayle, John, Chef Ahmad Jamal, and Kris Hoogerhyde developed a custom ras el hanout blend. A golden caramel swirl acts as the perfect vehicle in the creamy Vanilla ice cream for these spices, creating a multidimensional flavor that’s mysterious and completely unique. Each scoop becomes a personal tasting journey, revealing different spices for every guest, and inviting moments of surprise and delight.
When Kris first tasted the flavor, she felt immediate joy. “It tastes completely different from anything we’ve ever made. Everyone who tries it tastes a different spice first. It’s so special.” She recommends to pair it with apples and pears, complementing their naturally sweet and tart flavor with warm, aromatic depth.
This is a flavor that celebrates Foreign Cinema’s craftsmanship from years of experience with spices, textures, and aromatics. You can enjoy Moroccan Caramel Swirl with Ras el Hanout by the scoop or pint at Bi-Rite Creamery, grab a pint at any Bi-Rite Market location, or order it on the Bi-Rite Market App. And for that full circle moment, you can taste it at Foreign Cinema, too. The restaurant is featuring our collaboration flavor on their dessert menu, pairing it with warm Apple Galette, tropical Pineapple Crêpes, and offering it à la carte for a pure, joy-filled scoop.
PAST COLLABORATIONS
APRICOT NOYAUX CARAMEL
We partnered with Samin Nosrat to create a flavor that celebrates the delicate essence of noyaux, the aromatic kernel hidden inside apricot pits, which gives the ice cream a subtle almond like flavor. Swirls of floral apricot jam and shards of burnt caramel add brightness and bittersweet crunch to every scoop. Samin—cook, teacher, and James Beard Award-winning author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and the newly released Good Things—infused this delightful ice cream with her joyful curiosity and love for the magic that happens when people gather to eat, laugh, and connect.
CARROT CAKE EXTRAVAGANZA
Shuggie’s very own David and Kayla built their restaurant to fight food waste, turning overlooked ingredients into unforgettable dishes. Inspired by their signature dessert we crafted this flavor together, folding housemade carrot cake pieces into walnut butter ice cream, sweetened with dates, and brightened with a pineapple swirl. Upcycled walnuts, though slightly imperfect in appearance, find new life in every scoop. At Shuggie’s, every bite helps save the planet—and we’re honored to be part of this mission! #FightFoodWaste
PAIN SUISSE CROISSANT
Patrick and Joanna of Le Marais teamed up with us to create a unique ice cream inspired by their iconic pastry. Housemade croissant bits are folded into rich vanilla custard with swirls of Guittard chocolate, delivering a buttery, flaky crunch and decadent sweetness that captures the essence of their Pain Suisse. Born and trained in France, Patrick brought truly authentic French pastries to San Francisco, and this flavor creatively marries Le Marais' pastry artistry with the craft of our delightful, classic ice cream. #ShowUsYourScoops
SWEET UME PLUM
Celebrated for their intense fragrance, ume plums were brought to California by immigrants from Japan. Ripe, blushing ume from the Central Valley are cured in sugar for months until a floral, mildly acidic syrup develops. The syrup is then incorporated into our (classic) ice cream recipe. We worked with Sylvan, Rintaro’s owner, to create this delicate sweet-tart flavor, applying the same process used for Rintaro's housemade umeshu liqueur – a centerpiece at his Mission District restaurant.
#ShowUsYourScoops
WALNUT BAKLAVA CHERRY SWIRL
To celebrate Souvla’s 10-year anniversary, we collaborated on an exceptional flavor honoring the delights of our Greek neighbor's kitchen. Each bite is a taste of the traditional Greek pastry, with toasted walnuts, ground cinnamon, and honey. We added a dark cherry syrup swirl to echo Souvla’s frozen Greek yogurt topping “vissino,” which complements our sweet, tangy spin on a Greek yogurt ice cream. Here's to many more years of Souvla and Bi-Rite serving our community and making it nice!
SAFFRON JAGGERY CARAMEL CRUNCH
Diaspora Co. offers delicious, rich, and luscious spices while promoting equity and fair exchange within the spice trade industry. Inspired by founder Sana Javeri Kadri’s bold approach to flavor and business, we partnered with her and the Diaspora team to create the first limited edition flavor in our new series Bi-Rite Creamery & Friends: Saffron Jaggery Caramel Crunch. Stunning Kashmiri Saffron ice cream is paired with a Madhur jaggery caramel swirl and a crunchy, salty pistachio crumble. #ShowUsYourScoops
SALTED EGG & MULBERRY SWIRL
Chef Brandon Jew leans into the quality of ingredients for every dish he creates—and our partnership with him showcased this. We couldn’t contain our excitement over this collaboration as we explored flavor complexities with special ingredients. Salted egg is grated into an extra rich, salty ice cream to create a custardy texture and then combined with a sweet, tart mulberry swirl for the ultimate sweet and salty satisfying treat. Launched Fall 2023. Let us know if you’d like to have this flavor return!
TOASTY UBE SOURDOUGH
Rize Up Bakery feels we can change the world one beautiful loaf of bread at a time. And we were honored to collaborate with this Black-owned bakery to create a flavor inspired by Chef Azikiwee ‘Z’ Anderson’s favorite way to enjoy his sought-after ube sourdough. Dive into this ube sourdough ice cream with sweetened condensed milk, buttery sourdough breadcrumbs, and an ube jam swirl. Launched Summer 2023. Let us know if you’d like to have this flavor return!
PANDAN MANGO SWIRL
The team at Good Good Culture Club and Liholiho Yacht Club enjoy sharing their #heritagedriven cooking with their guests. And we’re thrilled to collaborate with them on a new ice cream, featuring their favorite flavors of steeped fresh pandan leaves, with hints of coconut, almond, and vanilla, complemented by a bright mango curd swirl. Launched January 2023. If you’d like to see this flavor return, let us know!
MEYER LEMON ROSEMARY CRUMBLE
Meyer lemon and rosemary have been a constant on the celebrated State Bird Provisions menu, and we were excited to collaborate with Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza to combine those flavors with our ice cream. Scoop into this creamy Meyer lemon ice cream with its sweet, tart Meyer lemon curd swirl, and crunchy, savory rosemary seed crisp. Launched Fall 2022. If you’d like to see this flavor return, let us know!
KNAFEH
We collaborated with 2022 James Beard Awards Outstanding Chef finalist Reem Assil to combine her signature Knafeh with our ice cream. Dig your spoon into this Greek yogurt and cream cheese ice cream with an orange blossom and rose syrup, and delicate honey brittle with pistachios and phyllo. Launched Summer 2022. If you’d like to see this flavor return, let us know!
NOW SERVING COLLABORATIONS
Here’s the scoop on our limited edition Bi-Rite Creamery x Local Chefs and Bi-Rite Creamery & Friends series. Kris Hoogerhyde, Bi-Rite Creamery’s co-owner, collaborates with local chefs and other inspiring partners to develop one-of-a-kind flavor combinations. We admire them not only for their dedication to deliciousness, but because they too are Creating Community Through Food.®
Each flavor pairs the chefs’ and partners’ unique culinary perspectives with Kris’ ice cream expertise to churn exclusive, tantalizing ice creams for your enjoyment. Follow us on Instagram to learn when the new Bi-Rite Creamery x Local Chefs and Bi-Rite Creamery & Friends flavors launch.