By Melissa Griegel…
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
Multi-month Culinary Activations Kick-off December 15 through February, with New NYC Locations Weekly
Tyra Banks is bringing her globally viral Hot Ice Cream to New York City this winter with a multi-month series of culinary activations. Warm, creamy, and pourable, Hot Ice Cream was created by Banks after years of watching scoop shops struggle through winter — a season that has quietly threatened small ice cream businesses for generations. She kicked off her three-month launch of pop-up shops to sample her ice cream at ARTECHOUSE NYC (439 W. 15th Street, NYC, Located inside Chelsea Market) at a press event on December 11th. The public will be able to try this delicious treat at ARTECHOUSE and other locations starting Monday, December 15th. See end of article for locations and dates.
“For years, I’ve watched ice cream shops struggle or close during the winter,” says Banks. “So many barely hang on until spring. Some don’t make it at all. Winter hits this industry harder than people realize, and it breaks my heart because I know how much passion, creativity, and family legacy goes into every scoop — whether it’s a tiny shop or a midsized business. I knew there had to be a better way forward,” Banks told the crowd. The pattern was impossible to ignore, and Banks felt compelled to reimagine what could help. After seeing the same winter cycle repeat year after year, Banks created Hot Ice Cream as a new warm dessert category designed to give ice cream shops a winter revenue engine they’ve long been missing. She talked not only about launching her own shops, by also about making her concept of hot ice cream available to small business owners around the world, saying that keeping ice cream shops open year-round is more important than her own trademark interests on the concept.
Tyra serves up her hot ice cream
“Hot Ice Cream went viral fast, but it wasn’t created just to be quirky or shocking. It was created because ice cream shops suffer greatly every winter and I wanted to find a unique way to help solve a real problem,” Tyra said. Once the idea was ready, she knew it needed an entrance that matched its ambition. Banks created a punchy, unexpected video and released it on Instagram: a sharp, jolt-like moment that cut straight through the noise of social media and culture. It went viral almost instantly, surpassing her own expectations and revealing the global ripple effect the Hot Ice Cream concept was capable of creating.
Tyra Banks Shows Off Her Hot Ice Cream
Tyra’s love of ice cream stems from her happy childhood memories growing up with a hard-working single mom who took Tyra and her sisters out for ice cream for special family time together. She hopes to bring a permanent shop to New York City in the future. The ice cream shop will include cold ice cream in addition to her innovative hot ice cream, and will have immersive activities. We were able to try the hot ice cream which was rich and chocolatey and tasted like a better, thicker, creamier version of hot chocolate, with a little of the mouthfeel of ice cream. As an added flavor profile and extra crunch, crushed up cookies were sprinkles on top. The ice cream was a big hit with attendees, many going back for second and third cups.
The innovation comes from SMiZE & DREAM, Banks’s boldly imaginative ice cream company inspired by her mother, Carolyn, and known for unexpected flavors, creative storytelling, and the signature SMiZE SURPRiZE truffle hidden inside every pint, rooted in the idea of digging deep to reach your dreams, and tasting the sweetness of success. Hot Ice Cream is the company’s newest innovation, blending comfort, playfulness, and purpose into a warm winter dessert meant to help scoop shops stay alive during the months they need it most. The concept first launched at SMiZE & DREAM’s flagship boutique in Sydney, Australia, where it quickly went viral and sparked a wave of curiosity, giving Banks the momentum to bring Hot Ice Cream to the United States on a larger, more expansive scale.
Now, New Yorkers will have the first opportunity to taste SMiZE & DREAM’s signature Hot Ice Cream through a curated citywide collaboration path — a series of partnerships chosen to spotlight different expressions of the warm, pourable dessert. From immersive XR technology at ARTECHOUSE NYC to nostalgic reinvention at Serendipity 3, to chef-driven interpretations at Jean-Georges T. Brasserie and Passerine, each stop offers a unique take on how Hot Ice Cream can surprise, comfort, and delight. Additional collaborations will continue to roll out throughout the season.
The launch took place at ARTECHOUSE NYC , an innovative art organization dedicated to the intersection of art, science and technology. Utilizing the largest seamless megapixel count projections of any cultural institution and integrating Hyperreal Sound technology, ARTECHOUSE NYC offers visitors and artists alike a unique technologically-advanced art platform. They are currently running a special holiday immersive experience. For more information CLICK HERE.
WHERE TO SAMPLE ICE CREAM IN NEW YORK CITY:
ARTECHOUSE NYC, Chelsea Market
• Immersive XR and Hot Ice Cream tasting experience of Santa SMiZE’s Cookies from
Dec. 15 – 21
Mr. Purple, Hotel Indigo LES
• Cozy winter rooftop tastings of SMiZE & DREAM’s Santa SMiZE’s Cookies Hot Ice Cream for Press and influencers at Chef Kara’s Mr. Purple restaurant
Dec. 15 – 20
Passerine
• Pistachio Cardamom Hot Ice Cream topped with a slice of kulfi
Jan. 8 – 10
◦ Kulfi is name-checked in Banks’ “Santa SMiZE, Santa SMiZE” holiday anthem
Jean-Georges T. Brasserie, Tin Building
• Apple Pie à la Crème Hot Ice Cream
Jan. 15 – 18
Serendipity 3, Upper East Side and Times Square
• Limited-edition Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Hot Ice Cream
Jan. 29 – Feb. 1
Temple NYC
• South Pole Donut Hole Hot Ice Cream
Feb. 5 – 7 (New York Men’s Fashion Week)
Chip City Cookies
• Cookie-forward Hot Ice Cream flavor collaboration
Feb. 10 – 15 (Valentine’s Week)
