A special gathering at Sherman Park this morning functioned as the official launch for a brand new Purple Door Ice Cream flavor inspired by Milwaukee County Parks.
The new ice cream, which is called Milwaukee Trail Mix, features a base of malted vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate covered pretzels, golden raisins and salted peanuts.
“Folks from the ‘Love Your Parks’ campaign reached out to us towards the end of the summer about creating a new flavor in support of Milwaukee County Parks,” says Lauren Schultz, co-owner of Purple Door, noting that it took a while, but they have finally dialed in the ideal recipe.
“We tried a number of versions,” she says. “First, we made our own granola... and finally we happened upon this combination, which everyone seems to really love. Our entire staff is in agreement on it, which is quite an achievement!”
Schultz says that supporting the Milwaukee County Parks is not only important to her and her family, but also to the mission of Purple Door.
“As parents, we use the parks as much as we can,” she says. “And, at Purple Door, our social bottom line means we try to do all we can to support our community. And our environmental bottom line is well aligned with the goal of supporting our city’s beautiful green spaces.”
The new Milwaukee Trail Mix ice cream will be for sale at all three Purple Door scoop shops (Mequon Public Market, Sherman Phoenix and Walker’s Point) beginning today.
Even better, 20% of each scoop or pint purchased between now and the end of October will be donated to the Milwaukee Parks Foundation in conjunction with the “Love Your Parks” campaign.
Support Milwaukee County Parks
Throughout the pandemic, Milwaukeeans have looked to the parks as a way to enjoy fresh air, exercise and relieve stress and anxiety. Yet, even with revenue from beer gardens and golf courses, the park system still faces a budget shortfall due to a loss of revenue from services like rentals and special event permits.
In addition to requests for donations, volunteerism and shared stories on the parks’ value to our community, the campaign has also partnered with various food and beverage makers to create special products to support the parks.
An August partnership with Stone Creek Coffee raised $3,413 through the sale of a special edition coffee. And a collaboration with Sprecher Brewing Co and Beer Capital resulted in the creation of Parklife, a honey lager with packaging inspired by Grant Park. You can find the beer for sale at these locations.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
