STAR, Id. — What started as an ice cream experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a popular gathering place in Star.
Sea Salt Creamery & Bake Shop owner Ryan Brandenburg opened the business in 2020. Today, the shop is known for its homemade ice cream, baked goods, and seasonal menu inspired by local ingredients.
"We've been open now five years. We started in 2020, during COVID," Brandenburg said.
Brandenburg said he saw an opportunity to create a place where families could gather and enjoy a treat together.
"I came from California and came out here and saw a need for, you know, a treat spot for families to gather and enjoy their afternoons and evenings and hot summer days and even cold winter days as well," he said.
At Sea Salt Creamery & Bake Shop, the menu changes throughout the year.
Brandenburg works with local farms, including Gem Orchards in Emmett, to incorporate fresh ingredients into both the bakery and ice cream offerings.
"We like to work seasonally, so I do work with a lot of local farms such as Gem Orchards in Emmett where I'll drive over there and get whatever he's growing, which will help dictate kind of what I'm making," Brandenburg said.
"So whether it be apples or nectarines or peaches or cherries, that's gonna dictate the baked goods as well as some of the ice cream as we make those."
During the fall season, customers can find autumn flavors.
"We're in fall season, so we got pumpkin stuff, pear stuff, apple stuff, a lot of spices, brown butters, and things like that," Brandenburg said.
Many of the bakery's recipes trace back to Brandenburg's family, particularly his mother.
"Everything is kind of based on, like, my mom's recipe book who helped me start this," he said.
Growing up around home-cooked meals helped shape his approach to food.
"I've always been around quality food because my mom's always been a great cook and mom's always been in the kitchen," Brandenburg said. "And so always having quality food, and to this day, family gatherings are like, you know, big soirees of food just everywhere."
Brandenburg went to culinary school, worked in high-end hotels and fine dining kitchens before opening Sea Salt Creamery & Bake Shop.
"When we decided to do this, it was kind of like I wanted to really take it back to those roots and really make everything from scratch," he said.
Despite his culinary background, Brandenburg said ice cream wasn't originally part of his skill set.
His wife encouraged him to open an ice cream shop and bakery after the family moved to Idaho.
"My wife was just like, let's open an ice cream shop and a bakery," Brandenburg said. "I was like, honey, I don't make ice cream, and I don't bake."
"But she's like, but you can do anything, you're a chef, right?"
That challenge led him to begin experimenting at home.
"I taught myself to make ice cream in my garage during COVID," Brandenburg said.
He started with a small Cuisinart ice cream maker.
"I passed it out to neighbors and community members and continuously adjusted and got feedback and kind of fell in love with the process," he said.
The shop itself was also a family effort.
"My dad built this whole place," Brandenburg said. "This was an empty room; we built all the benches, we put up the walls, we painted, we did all that, and then me and my mom kind of continued to construct what I'm doing, and I figured out the ice cream."
While Brandenburg originally focused on building a business, he said the community impact became one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
"I wouldn't have known it beforehand, but the memories that are made here for families with grandparents bringing their grandchildren here, families gathering together just for a sweet treat, birthdays, all that was not foreseen in my mind," he said.
When Sea Salt first opened, Brandenburg said Star neighbors quickly rallied behind the business.
"Mayor Chadwick was one of my first people at the door, to be honest," Brandenburg said.
"And to have him plus 50 people at my door when I first opened, you know, cheering you on, rooting you on, it was just a tremendous feeling."
Brandenburg believes the city's sense of community continues to be one of its greatest strengths.
"Star is community for sure," he said.
Brandenburg is quick to credit his staff for the shop's success.
"I couldn't do it without them," he said. "It's not a one-man show; it's not a two-man show... with my mom being involved, it's everybody and down to the dishwasher."
One of those team members is head pastry chef Josh Parker, who has been with the business almost since the beginning.
"You know, it's been great," Parker said. "I mean, being here since, well, right, right after we opened, I was, I don't know, 3rd or 4th employee, I think, after we opened in the kitchen."
Parker said helping develop recipes and products has been one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
"It's been a lot of fun, and I think that we've built a fun team; we've built a great product," he said.
Brandenburg praised Parker's expertise and role in helping the bakery evolve.
"Josh kind of helped take that and really run with it," Brandenburg said.
Parker's background includes culinary arts, confection work, chocolate making and pastry.
"I've been in the industry about 22 years," Parker said. "I studied culinary arts, but I spent more time in confections and chocolate making and pastry than restaurants."
He also spent five years with Idaho Candy Company and even opened a chocolate manufacturing business in Belize.
"Learning the whole process from bean to bar, it's a lot of fun," Parker said.
Five years after opening, Brandenburg said Sea Salt Creamery & Bake Shop continues to grow while staying true to its roots.
His favorite flavor remains surprisingly simple.
"People always ask me what's my favorite flavor? It's vanilla," Brandenburg said.
"It's vanilla in a cake cone. It's kind of just very simple."
As the seasons change, so do the offerings, but the mission remains the same.
"We like to have fun and create and evolve throughout the seasons," Brandenburg said. "It keeps it fresh."
And as customers continue filling the shop, Brandenburg hopes they'll keep supporting local businesses across the Treasure Valley.
"We hope you come down and you love it as much as we do," Brandenburg said, "and you continue to support small businesses and not only mine, but all the ones throughout the Treasure Valley that are creating great things and doing wonderful products all throughout from here to Boise."
