Pittsburgh artist Millie’s Ice Cream is making a frozen deal with for Black Historical past Month

By jimadmin On Feb 15, 2021

In the middle of winter, people generally don’t think about buying frozen desserts.

Pittsburgh artist Cue Perry found a reason to embrace the cold.

Perry worked with Millie’s homemade ice cream to create Blackout Brownie, an ice cream for Black History Month. The proceeds from the sale of pints of the delicious dessert will benefit 1Hood Media, a collective of artists and activists who fight for social justice.

“Everyone loves ice cream,” said Perry. “And this is a great way to send a positive message for a good cause. I believe when you discharge good energy, good energy will return to you. “

The limited edition “Social Justice Pint-for-a-Cause” is dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free. It’s described by Wild Rise Bakery, a black-owned bakery in Wilkinsburg, as “an experience with dark chocolate that melts in your mouth, full of gluten-free brownies.”

Courtesy of Cue Perry

The artist Cue Perry from the North Side created the Blackout Brownie in collaboration with Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream

It can be purchased in the Giant Eagle Market Districts in South Hills Village, Robinson, Waterworks, Pine and Shadyside, as well as in stores in Monroeville, Donaldson’s Crossroads in McMurray, East Hills and Shaler. More stores will come on board next week.

It will also be available at Millie’s brick and mortar locations in Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Market Square, and the Pitt campus in Oakland.

The first batch sold out quickly but is being replenished, said Lauren Townsend, who co-owns Millie’s with husband Chad. A pint is $ 7.99.

Lauren Townsend said they had ordered 10,000 pint containers and were ready to produce more if demand persists.

You’re not going to sacrifice flavor with this ice cream, ”said Lauren Townsend. “We’ve known Cue for a while and are big fans of him. He’s incredibly talented, and when the protests broke out and the Black Lives Matter movement revived, he wanted to do something to help. “

One full-time artist, Perry, 35, said he had loved art all his life. He has no formal education. One of his inspirations is the Pittsburgh artist Baron Batch. Perry mostly paints with acrylics.

He met the owners of Millie’s while making a painting for them. They talked about hosting an art exhibition at their Lawrenceville location. The pandemic put this show on hold.

“There was so much racial tension and protests that I wanted to do something,” Perry said. “We originally talked at the art exhibition about donating the proceeds to 1Hood because it is a local non-profit organization that fights for social justice. But then hit Covid-19. “

He came up with the combination while taking a tasting and accidentally grabbed a slice of brownie, and it was the perfect pairing ingredient, he said.

“Many African Americans are lactose intolerant and as we get older our stomachs are more sensitive to certain foods,” said the native of the north.

Perry had a package design assistant, his 4-year-old niece Kamryn. They experimented with spray paint in the back yard.

“She really liked the pink ice cream cone,” said Perry. “I’ve added a few details. But she was my inspiration. She loves to paint. “

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com, or on Twitter.

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