A couple of months back, Uproxx and Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey teamed up with Benny Blanco for “Skrew The Usual” — a must-watch dissection of Benny’s superpowered creative approach.
But Benny isn’t the type of artist to be pinned down to just one thing, the producer, songwriter and chef is multi-talented — so in addition to talking about how he crafted some of his most beloved hits of the past decade, we also got to talking about his work in the kitchen. That conversation led us to Benny’s Sticky Icky Sundae (as well as a custom cocktail that is also a must-try).
So what is this sundae? It’s an addictive whiskey-infused banana split that has easily become our dessert of the summer.
The sundae features brûléed bananas, Salt & Straw’s famous “Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons” ice cream, a Skrewbal Whiskey-infused magic shell, and Skrewball Whiskey-soaked cherries and whipped cream. Trust us, it tastes even better than it sounds. So to help level up your summer and close the season’s final full month in delicious style, we’ll walk you through how to make Benny’s Sticky Icky Sundae.
But before we talk about the sundae, we need to get an essential ingredient out of the way first — the Skrewy magic shell.
Skrewy Magic Shell
Uproxx
Ingredients:
4 oz. natural peanut butter (any brand you love)
4 oz. coconut oil
3 Tbsp Skrewball Whiskey
The Skrewy Magic Shell is the essential peanut butter and coconut drizzle that pulls all the ingredients together and makes this decadent treat so addicting. It also levels up this simple dessert to gourmet status. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to make and will have you feeling like Carmy Berzatto.
Method:
Combine all three ingredients in a mixing bowl into fully emulsified
Pour into a squeeze bottle
Fully cool prior to use
Bam, you’ve just made delicious magic. On to the sundae!
Benny’s Sticky Icky Sundae
Uproxx
Ingredients:
1 Brûléed banana cut into halves
3 scoops of Salt & Straw “Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons” ice cream
Skrewy Magic Shell
Three Skrewball-soaked cherries
Skrewbal candied peanuts to taste
Skrewball-infused whipped cream
Edible gold leaf
A couple of caveats with these ingredients. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making candied peanuts or Skrewball-infused whipped cream, you can sub those ingredients with regular candied peanuts and whipped cream. But, if you truly want to impress, we suggest you go all the way and make those simple ingredients from scratch.
Any candied peanuts recipe on the internet will work, simply add a dash of Skrewball to the recipe to give them that decadent whiskey goodness. For the whipped cream all you need to do is take some heavy whipping cream, add a glug of Skrewball to taste, whip it together and voila! You’ve got whiskey-infused whipped cream.
For the Skrewball-infused cherries, simply soak maraschino cherries in whiskey overnight.
What You’ll Need
Sundae bowl
Torch
Edible gold leaf
Method
slice a banana lengthwise and brûlée by topping with sugar and torching the top of each halve.
Place 3 scoops of ice cream on top of brûléed banana halves
Top with signature Skrewy magic shell.
Add peanuts.
Top with whipped cream and cherries.
Add gold leaf.
Bottom Line:
This dish is the perfect combination of sweet and rich flavors, resulting in a decadent, addicting (in the best way) and boozy dessert. It’s also deceptively simple, making it a visually impressive dish to whip up for friends!
Juvenile is a bonafide hip-hop legend. Through the timelessness of his classic records, he has helped to cement the legacy of New Orleans’ Cash Money era while enjoying a cross-generational appeal via the magic of social media. Juvenile stays ubiquitous – you cannot go to a major event, a club night or even listen to a new music release without hearing Juvie’s influence or actual music and lyrics.
On his 3rd or 4th wave now, Juvenile’s most recent reinvention outside music revolves around strategic hometown partnerships and products that result from his burgeoning passion for all things culinary, along with his innate entrepreneurial spirit. Current plans beyond his already popular Juvie Juice and savory Cheewee’s snacks include his own coffee, a line of sauces and more varieties of Juvie Juice.
We got the lowdown on everything Juvie has in the pipeline, along with his recommendations for New Orleans hot spots and local gems. Juvie has us covered when it comes to the top crawfish and gumbo in NOLA, what makes Ruth Chris’ in ‘Nawlins like no other, and his personal snack indulgence; pretzels and Snickers mixed.
Whether it’s getting healthy with Caesar Salads and Nature’s Own granola bars, hitting every Benihana possible, playing the “Juvie Card” to get some late-night eggs at Waffle House or polishing off that mini-bar Toblerone, Juvenile is a man who knows exactly what he likes and wants at any given time. And if Juvie tells you that you look like a Toblerone kind of guy, that just means he sees a little bit of himself in you – there may be no better compliment. Join us and get to know the legendary “Ha” emcee, unlike you’ve ever known him before.
Where are you today?
Oh, I’m at my little spot where I make my lamps and stuff in New Orleans.
When you’re on the road doing shows, what’s on your rider as far as food and drinks and snacks?
Most of the time it’s Popeyes Chicken, full service. I got to have the rice, the red beans. I want mild chicken. I’m going to always have my chips, of course, the 400 Degreez Snack Chips. My main thing would be the Popeyes. I got to have the Popeyes.
Is that like a bucket of dark, white, a little bit of everything?
I get mixed. I get it mixed, so it’s a little bit of everything.
When you’re in the studio creating, are there certain foods or snacks or drinks that you need to have in the studio to get in the right mind state?
In the studio, I got to have my D’Usse or some form of cognac. I got to have some cognac in there, and I definitely got to have my Juvie Juice ’cause I’m blending them. We make drinks, we make all kinds of drinks with the Juvie Juice.
What about from a food perspective? Are you ordering takeout?
Usually, when I’m at home, I want crawfish, man. I’m tweaking for some crawfish right now. Most of the time when I go to the studio out of town it would be some form of seafood. So it might be like a grilled fish or something like that, nothing heavy.
How do you like your crawfish prepared?
Oh, they got to come from Cajun’s on Claiborne, on North Claiborne, first of all, ’cause they got a few Cajuns in the city. I got one specifically that I go to, right? My crawfish, they come one way, they hot.
They hot, they real seasoned up. It’s everything. You know what I’m saying? You really got to have a liking for them because they real hot.
So do you like your food spicy in general, or is it just the crawfish?
No, it’s just the crawfish. When we say spicy in New Orleans, we mean spicy, we don’t mean spicy by pepper spicy. We mean a lot of seasoning, like a lot of vegetables and a lot of onions and bell peppers and stuff like that.
It sounds like you have a lot of big meals, but are you much of a snacker? Do you eat chips and cookies and candy and stuff like that?
Yeah, not a lot. I used to. I used to be a Snickers man but now I’m getting up in age, man, I don’t do too much junk (food), like I used to. But if I was to dive into some snacks, I like ice cream sandwiches.
What’s your go-to ice cream sandwich?
Strawberry Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich from, what’s the name of the ice cream place? I can’t think of the name right off the top of my head. I just walk in a damn store every other day and buy something. Why I can’t think of it? I got a big dude in here (who) can’t think of an ice cream place. Baskin? That’s it, Baskin-Robbins. Yeah, Baskin-Robbins.
Do you prefer sweets to chips and savory snacks?
I’m really a potato chip guy. I’ll be eating them Kettle Chips. I get the Kettle Chips from Whole Foods. I like Lay’s Kettle Chips. My brand, I’m a Kettle Chip head, and I’ll try some shit too when it’s Kettle Chips, honestly. I like the crunch.
They got the Zapp’s down in New Orleans.
Yeah. That’s the main reason I like Kettle Chips. I like all the Zapp’s, even though some of them are horrible, but I still eat them.
What’s the worst flavor of Zapp’s?
Probably the crawfish flavor, but I still eat them. If you give me a bag, I’m still going to eat them.
You’re a crawfish guy, how come you don’t like the crawfish chips?
It ain’t the consistency I’m looking for, but I ain’t trying to hear it on Zapp’s either because they got some good chips.
When you’re on the road and you’re touring, what’s something that you like to have in your room or if there’s something in the mini bar?
I get into the mini bar, I do. You know those Nature’s Own snacks in the green pack? I like those, bro. I ain’t going to lie to you. I like those. I’m hooked on those. If they got those in the hotel room anywhere, usually I’ll eat them. I used to be a Toblerone man. I’m telling you, man, I used to have it bad with that. I had to leave that alone.
A lot of people have that problem.
You look like a Toblerone guy too! Especially in the hotel rooms ’cause they usually always have them in the minibars and stuff. That’s a fact. So after you’re done a show, I know- also, Famous Amos Cookies. I knew I was forgetting something. Famous Amos Cookies, I love those.
So after you have a show, I know it’s usually probably pretty late at night once you’re done. Do you usually go out to eat afterwards? Are you getting room service?
If I eat it’s going to be Waffle House, probably some eggs, grilled chicken. Whatever’s open 24 hours, usually late, I want eggs. I want some eggs and grilled chicken most of the time.
So you’re not doing room service?
If it’s open, and I can convince them to make what I want. I’m real talkative when I want some food, and I want something, I be, “Hey, this Juvie.” That’s when I start throwing the Juvie card around. “That’s Juvie, y’all. You know this Juvie, right?” “I’m going to tip you real good. Hey, could you get the chef to make me some eggs? You know what I’m saying? Some turkey sausage or something like that, man, just hook me up something special,” ’cause usually, they have pork on the menu for breakfast.
I’m not a pork eater, so I always have to ask these extra questions.
So it sounds like as you’re getting older, you’ve gotten a little bit healthier in your eating habits. You said you go to Whole Foods, you’re eating turkey sausage and it sounds like you might-
Nah, nah, I got to learn how, I’m trying. I’m trying, ’cause look, I got a stomach, bro. I’m trying to learn how.
Besides the granola bars, what’s some other healthy snacks that you like that maybe other people should know about that are trying to get healthier too?
Well, I’m a salad head. But as far as snack wise, healthy snacks, fruits, that’s probably it. I eat a lot of fruits too.
Do you have a favorite fruit? Favorite salad?
My favorite fruit is orange. I love oranges, mandarins or anything like that.
What’s your go-to salad when you’re eating salads or eating healthy?
I’m a Caesar head. I like Caesar. I like Caesar. I can eat it with chicken without chicken, just the Caesar.
So something that’s interesting that’s come up to us is that lot of times nowadays people are trying out new snacks and putting different snacks together. We had somebody that likes to eat Oreos and Doritos together. We had somebody that likes to eat Kool-Aid flavored pickles. I’m curious if there’s anything that you like that other people might think is weird or gross.
Yeah, pretzels and Snickers. I like pretzels with Snickers together. You know, the little Snickers? The little Snickers in the little pack… and pretzels. Try that.
That sounds good, actually.
Try that. Try that, brother.
Then on the flip side, is there anything that you see other people out there eating that you’re like, “That’s nasty?” Or, “Why would you eat that together?”
It’s been some weird stuff, man. I done seen people put peppermints in hot pickles, take a peppermint and stuff it into hot pickles.
Yeah, man, like, what’s the purpose? Your breath, it’s not going to help. I don’t know, but people have some weird fetish. The weirdest stuff I done seen probably came from pregnant women. I think that was my aunt or somebody was eating pig lips. What they eat it with? Pig lips and potato chips, pig feets and potato chips. You ever had that?
No.
Down here they have pickled pig lips. Pickled pig lips and potato chips.
That sounds like a band name or something. That’s interesting.
Pickled pig lips and potato chips, that’s big down here.
I’ll take your word for it. I might have to try that on my next trip.
So that brings me to New Orleans. You come from somewhere that has a very rich food history, a very rich culinary background. What are some of your favorite restaurants or places that the tourists don’t get to that they should be checking out?
Well, Neyow’s would be one of them, a local spot that a lot of people do come through that know about it, but a lot of the tourists miss it. It’s a spot I eat at on a regular. We got a lot of trucks down here that’s real good.
What are you eating at Neyow’s that’s really good?
I like the gumbo and the fried chicken, but I’ve had the fish, I’ve had the salmon. They got different stuff on their menu, man. They got a big menu. It’s always packed in there, but I don’t know if there’s people from out of town. I think it’s locals.
What’s another local spot that everybody should check out that maybe they don’t know about?
Definitely my guy, Skip, got Chicken & Watermelon. Everybody from out of town comes there. It is right there on Claiborne Street.
So would you say that Neyow’s is the best place to get gumbo or where’s your gumbo spot?
No, I think it’s called Orleans Cafe is another spot that’s in the New Orleans East that all they sell is gumbo, and they sell it by the gallons.
Oh, wow.
People say they have the best gumbo. I’ve had it one time, but I got to have it a couple of times. My taste buds don’t work like that. I got to have it a couple times to say if it’s the best or just have both of them together and compare them. But nah, Neyow’s have some good gumbo.
Then I know you said crawfish is your favorite local dish.
Nah, that’s number one, but we got Ruth’s Chris. Ruth’s Chris is from here. I always tell people from out of town like Ruth’s Chris is different in New Orleans. It’s not like the Ruth’s Chris you go to on the road or something like that.
So what makes it different in New Orleans, if you could explain?
I guess that base of the way they cook the steaks and cook the food and the know-how, you know what I’m saying? New Orleans is the cooking capital, so people in New Orleans tend to do things different, the chefs and all. So the cooks that they have that’s in the Ruth’s Chris down here will be totally different from the ones out of town. Even though they’re cooking the same thing.
When you’ve been on the road touring, are there any cities that you really look forward to ’cause of the food there or restaurants that you like to go to?
I’m big on going to spots that we don’t have here in New Orleans, but most of the time, it’s national spots. We don’t have a Benihana here, and I love Benihana. Every time I go to Dallas or I go to Atlanta or to New York, those are the spots that I look for. But New Orleans people, we so locked in on our food, when we go to another city, we like the people to tell us what’s the best spot and go there. I’ve been to a lot of spots, it’s just hard for me to just pull one out of my hat.
What do you like to order at Benihana, though?
Man, I be ordering damn near everything on the menu. We just order. I go for it. I go for it, man. I like the pageantry and everything, but usually I get the triple, the one with the chicken, the steak and the shrimp. Forgot what they call it. I don’t eat it all, but I just order it like that.
I want to get more into your snacks and products. So I heard that Juvie Juice was inspired by your love for Arnold Palmer. When did you get into the Arnold Palmers, and where did that come from?
I’ve been drinking that since a kid. We always took lemonade and mixed it with tea, and I never knew the name was Arnold Palmer until I got older. So when they started saying Arnold Palmer, especially when you’re going to bars or restaurants and you’re trying to make that order, it’s just easier to say that ’cause they know everybody knows what that is. But yeah, I just love the taste. Seltzer was something that I wasn’t a fan of. I’m not really a big beer drinker either.
So it was something that I had to be convinced to like. So my guy Travis took me over to Urban South and we had a taste test, me, him and my wife.
We went through all these different flavors and stuff like that. I kept telling him, “Ah, this ain’t it. This ain’t it. This don’t taste like Arnold Palmer, I don’t like it.” Eventually, we got to the flavor. We got to the consistency that I like, and shit, right now, it’s doing good. I think a lot of people feel the same way I feel about seltzers. A lot of them are just dry and horrible.
So how does that feel for you to have something that you loved as a kid and now you have your own version on the market? You’ve been in the hip-hop game, you probably have had every honor and achievement in music, but having that outside of music, how does that feel?
Oh, it’s a good feeling, man. Tomorrow I’m doing a big in-store with Total Wine, Costco’s and Rouses, which is a local grocery store food chain down here, so I’m gradually growing a brand. To see a brand grow from one state to another state — right now, we’re in eight states — and do well and see the fans reaction when they drink it is great. Mmost of the people that come, they really haven’t drank the seltzer a day in their life. They’re getting introduced to something new and they really like it. For me, it’s a new world.
Then can you explain also how the CheeWees partnership came about?
Well, CheeWees is something that I’ve been eating since I was a kid down here. It’s a local company that’s been making these CheeWees before Cheetos. Actually, they sold the machine to Frito-Lay to make the Cheetos brand, so this brand’s been going… Down here, when you say Cheetos, we don’t say it, we say CheeWees. I call Cheetos CheeWees also, so it’s something that stuck with me and I saw an opportunity to have a partnership with somebody local and make a chip of my own, something that I really like, something that I enjoy with my face and my brand on it. I think it’s doing real good, man. The people down here, they love it.
So I have to ask you, what’s next? Because it seems like this food and culinary world is something you’re really embracing.
We got the hot sauce we working on right now. Matter of fact, I’ll show you. I already got some bottled up, but I don’t have the pictures. We working on the artwork right now,
I’ll have to ask them to maybe send me some info on it, and maybe you could send me a bottle when it’s ready. I would love to try it.
Yeah, I can. I got a trunk full of it right now. I got A-1, when I say A-1, I got steak sauce I’m working on. Well, we’ve already finished with the steak sauce, and we’ve already finished with marinades, so I got a list of marinades. I got two more flavors of the Juvie Juice coming out. One is strawberry lemonade, the other one is mango. I’m working on a coffee, which is called The Great Company with my wife.
Oh, man, you got an empire that’s coming.
Yeah, I’m working, bro. I’m working.
One last question. I know you got your own stuff and your own brands going, but if you could own or operate a franchise that exists already, like a restaurant or something like that is already out there, would it be Popeyes or would it be something else?
Man, you hit it on the nose, bro. It would be Popeyes or Chick-fil-A. I love Chick-fil-A. I wish they would open on Sundays, but I understand ’cause from a Chick-fil-A person that loves Chick-fil-A, it hurts me when they close on Sunday ’cause I love my grilled nuggets.
Grilled nuggets is your go-to at Chick-fil-A?
Grilled nuggets, and then we never talked about that yet, I’m a Chick-fil-a man. I got to have my Texas Pete Hot Sauce with my grilled nuggets, my 12 count.
Eager to reward her fans with new music, Dominican reggaeton superstar Natti Natasha released her latest album — NASTY SINGLES — in late 2023. The drop was a surprise and a welcome one, at that. Containing 10 previously released songs and six new tracks, Nasty Singles is somewhat of a compilation that Natti compares to an “assembled puzzle” because of the way music is released in this streaming era of non-stop singles.
A new mother and entrepreneur, Natti’s Nasty Singles strongly reflects the empowerment that she felt through the combination of motherhood and maturity. The songs are “nasty” in a way that takes ownership of a term that’s been famously used as a pejorative toward empowered women. They celebrate independence, inner strength, courage, conviction, and all facets of emotion that motherhood imparts.
Not only is Natti in her nasty phase but she’s also reflecting on the cultural influences that have shaped her music and her life – growing up in the Dominican Republic and having that pride, recording most of the album in Puerto Rico, and also the Mexican DNA of the modern Latin sound. Her music is centralized around the pulsating rhythms of Reggaeton but also incorporates Cumbia, Bachata, R&B, Dembow, and Afrobeat — creating a dynamic musical melange.
In short, it’s nasty in the best ways — which could also be said about Natti Natasha’s snacking habits. The artist views herself as more of a snacker than a meal-eater. So we dove deep into her favorite foods, as well as the cultures celebrated on Nasty Singles, and — in the process — found out that Dorito’s and Oreo’s eaten together is apparently a thing.
Let’s get right down to it – what snacks are on your rider?
Cashews, peanuts, almonds for sure. I don’t like salt [on nuts], but they always put them with salt. Cheese, any type of cheese, or different cheeses. Strawberries, sometimes I eat them, sometimes I don’t. Grapes. And… I think that’s it.
And definitely some junk food, like some potato chips. You never know when it’s a good day to have junk food.
That’s right. You mentioned a lot of different snacks just now. Would you say that you are more into sweet or savory snacks?
I mix it actually. For example, I eat at the same time — I mix Doritos and Oreo.
Whoa.
Whoa, right?
Together? You eat them together?
Together
That is crazy.
The best. It’s the best. Trust me.
Wow — I’ll have to try it and circle back. Would you say that you have a time of day when you’re snacking, or does it just depend on what’s going on?
I think I’m a snacker, instead of a sit-down eater.
Neverez PR
Oh, so you don’t eat a lot of whole meals, but you eat a lot of snacks throughout the day?
I’m a snacker. That’s it. This is why I’m so excited about this conversation.
Your latest project NASTY SINGLES was partially recorded in the Dominican Republic, some songs were recorded in Puerto Rico, some in Mexico. Being from the Dominican Republic, does each culture have the same types of snacks, or do they all have different specialties in each of those places?
Well, just like my album, NASTY SINGLES, each song and each place has a different flavor and different snacks. For example, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico have kind of the same cheese. Well, actually, in Mexico too, but the flavors are different.
Something that I would get in Mexico as a snack, and not in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico — I think I would just eat corn. I know it’s weird, but they make it really good sometimes, with some spicy stuff. And that will probably be a snack for me in Mexico, and not in the Dominican Republic.
Like elote or something like street corn?
Yeah, yeah, like street corn, that would be something that I wouldn’t do in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, I would have a coconut. You’re in the streets, you get a coconut, right?
Right. And what about in DR?
You just drink the water, or you eat the inside (of the coconut). In the Dominican Republic, you get an empanada, which is like a patty. That’s how you call it.
Cool. I’m sure you travel a lot between touring. Is there a snack when you check in somewhere, that you have to have in your hotel?
Is there something that you’d be excited about if you’re like, “Oh my gosh, they have this in the mini-bar!” — I mean, besides the cashews and chocolate, is there anything that you’d be excited about?
Yeah, wine. Does it count as snacks or not?
I don’t know if it counts, but it goes well with snacks. When you’re in the studio, is there a different type of snack that you like that gives you energy, creative juice, or anything like that?
Well, when I was making “Ya No Te Extrano”, which was actually in Puerto Rico, one of the snacks that I had there a lot was chips. I know it’s not healthy at all, but I was having chips. Like the plantain chips — that’s the Puerto Rican feeling right there.
With “Tu Perrota” I was having a lot of protein bars. Does that even count as a snack? I think so. “Perrota” is like… Well, the meaning that it has in the song is how good I feel. How fucking amazing I look and I feel inside out. So, when I want to look good, and I’m training, I always take care of what I eat. But when I go really, really in, then that’s a go-to snack [i.e. protein bars]. So, that’s when I really feel “Perrota.”
What’s your favorite protein bar?
Are they going to pay me? It’s Quest. The Quest Protein Bars.
I was going to ask you later, if you could be an ambassador for any snack brand, what would that be?
Listen, I love Quest Bar. I would love to be a Quest Bar ambassador. I would like to be a plantain chip ambassador, just because it represents the Caribbean so much, that I feel like it would be something interesting and funny in a way.
I’m Dominican, so it’s like, we have plantains everywhere in the Dominican Republic, so it will be kind of funny. And I feel like having that twist, being super clean eating, and then going to a plantain chip situation, really involves everything that the album represents. The different genres, the different feelings on each song. I feel like the variety.
Is there a food that everyone has to try when they visit the Dominican Republic that they wouldn’t get in the US, or maybe they wouldn’t be able to find that easily?
I would say it’s more the beer over there. But we could say Pastelon with the yellow plantain. But for the mashed plantain, is the green one. So you put that with some amazing onions. You cook them a little bit with vinegar and olive oil if you want. I’m vegetarian, but we put it with salami over there, and cheese. I don’t eat the salami, but I eat the cheese and the onion and the Mangu. It’s like Mofongo, but it’s boiled, and Mofongo is fried.
So you get the difference — Puerto Rico’s fried, and then Dominican Republic is the boiled one.
Neverez PR
I know you mentioned earlier that you like chocolate and junk food, and Doritos and Oreos together. What are some other guilty pleasure snacks that you really like?
Well, I really, really, really, really like white chocolate. That’s my favorite, favorite, favorite. I think that that’s pretty much what I go to when I want to…
Splurge?
Yeah, that’s the main, the main.
And then what’s something that some people may find gross or nasty, using words from your album, that you like, but other people might say, “Oh, that’s nasty”?
I love that. Well, actually, when I make the Doritos and the Oreos, a lot of people don’t find the magic in that. So, to me, that’s weird. Do you know the lentils?
Yeah, of course.
I put banana into it. Some people love it, and some people are like, “Eww.” And I’m like, “No, yummy.” I say, that’s “Yummy Nasty.” Yeah. The gas works with it, so you can’t hang out around a lot of people when you eat it.
And then what’s a snack that most people like, that you think is really gross or nasty?
There’s some people that like to dip their potatoes, the french fries into ice cream. I see some people doing that, and I find it weird.
What’s a vegetarian snack that maybe people who don’t know about it should try? Is there anything that you are really into, that you’re like, “Oh, this is such a good vegetarian snack”?
I love edamame. Yeah. Edamame is a good snack. It’s a healthy snack. It’s healthy nasty.
How do you feel about the dried veggies and dried fruits they have everywhere now, as a snack?
Oh, I like that. I had dried strawberries. I loved it. I loved it. I hadn’t tasted it before, but it was crunchy. I like crunchy things.
Being a new mom, are there snacks that both you and your daughter like to eat together, or things that she eats that you’re really surprised about?
She really likes greens, and I wasn’t really aware of that. When I put a plate, she’ll go to the sprouts, she likes cucumbers without the outside, and it has to be round. So, I find that very interesting. But I understand it because it’s refreshing. So, I think that she goes more for that area. And I like it too. I like yogurt. She likes it too. I guess she’s learning how to separate the Oreos. I didn’t know if she was probably copying what I was doing, but I separate them, eat the inside, and then she’s doing it, and I’m like, “Okay.”
That’s so funny.
She’s on that. Yeah, she does it all by herself. I like greens, and then I like some junk food here and there, and I see her in the same area.
Is that fun for you, exciting?
I love it. I love it. I love it. I enjoy it so much, and I feel like that’s something that people ask me. Like me releasing this album, I have ballads, I have really nasty, get down songs, and I have love songs, and I have everything. So many people are like, “Oh, but you’re a mom now.” And I’m like, “How does that make it difference to me?” It makes a difference in a powerful way. Now, they had asked me a question today, actually earlier. And I’m like, “I’m actually less afraid than before, of doing anything or expressing myself in any way because I feel like…unapologetic.”
So, I read somewhere that you love Dulce Frio, and I wanted to know, who makes the best Dulce Frio?
My mom.
I knew that was going to be the answer. But what if someone wanted to go buy some, is there anywhere that you’d recommend?
Actually, no, I haven’t seen that anywhere. Nowhere. And I have all the ingredients in my house, and I haven’t made it.
Maybe you need to make a store where people can buy it.
Maybe I do.
I also read that you really love cheese, so I’m wondering, do you like Puff Cheetos or Crunchy Cheetos better?
Crunchy Cheetos. Well, Interesting fact. I like it if it’s puffy Cheetos. This is going to sound weird, okay? You know when they’re kind of old, and they’re kind of gummy?
Old and gummy?
Not gummy, but they’re not that puffy.
Yeah, they’re a little stale.
Yeah. I like that. Yeah. I know. I know.
I’m going to ask one last question, and it’s a bean question. You said you like beans and lentils and bananas, right? Are there any other favorite bean snacks that you have?
Yes. In Dominican Republic, they make sweet beans. And it’s only made for Holy Week. That’s how you say it. They only make it for that time of year, and it’s a lot of sugar with beans and a condensed milk. You put little cookies in there. There are specific ones for that. You put prunes in there. It’s really good.
I really enjoyed getting to hear about all your snacking habits and your inspirations — I really appreciate you taking the time.
No, thank you, Dan. For sure. Thank you very much. Have fun. Thank you so much. I’m going to go eat because that made me hungry.
As a hardcore fan of Coca-Cola, I have to admit that I’m loving the Coca-Cola Creations line. For the uninitiated, Coca-Cola Creations is a fairly new subsection of the brand that brings a steady stream of brand-new flavors and celebrity collaborations to the soda space. Now, I’m not one to be charmed by celebrity endorsements, I could care less what a celebrity likes, but a new flavor of soda? Bring it on.
So far Coca-Cola Creations has given us a collaboration with DJ and electronic producer Marshmello, which ironically wasn’t a marshmallow-flavored soda but a mix of strawberry and watermelon. Next came a flavor called Starlight, which came across as a mint cola. Another was called Dreamworld, which is a “Dream Flavored” soda that was inspired by M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali (unfortunately, it did not get you high). And yet another was called Byte and was a flavor inspired by pixels. Yes, pixels.
Now Coca-Cola has teamed up with multi-Grammy award-winning artist Rosalía for Coca-Cola Move, a flavor inspired by transformation.
What does “transformation” taste like? Does it taste like a “dream”? Will it ironically taste like marshmallows? We found out by grabbing both Coca-Cola Move and Coca-Cola Move Zero to give you the full rundown on this new flavor.
Coca-Cola Move/Move Zero
Dane Rivera
The Concept:
Before we dive into the flavor, let’s talk about the concept. From the outside, Coca-Cola Move sounds pretty f*cking random. If you’re a Rosalía fan (she was my most listened-to artist of 2022), it all ties in perfectly with her excellent 2022 album Motomami. Motomami is largely an album about transformation, both lyrically and visually with mariposa (butterfly) imagery. Sonically, Rosalía takes the familiar sounds of Latin music and deconstructs it via Virgil Abloh style, thereby transforming it into something that sounds radically brand new.
So as basic as “Move” sounds as a flavor, it’s meant to evoke the same sort of sensation you get from listening to Motomami. This is dope because instead of it being a random and empty celebrity team-up (what the hell does Marshmello have to do with strawberry and watermelon flavored soda?), it seems like Rosalía actually put some thought into the concept around Move. From a flavor perspective, it sort of works.
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes:
Move has a shifting and evolving flavor. It hits the palate with sweetened coconut notes before transitioning into cotton candy flavors and a hint of freaking marshmallows. As the name suggests, this flavor is always moving across the palate, offering up something new with each taste. There’s a certain spring vibe to this flavor, which ties into the butterfly imagery used on Motomami, but it still has that distinct chocolate and cinnamon flavor you’d associate with Coca-Cola.
The soda has a nice strong fizz but lacks that characteristic bite that Coca-Cola is known for. It’s a lot softer on the throat and the flavor lingers on the tongue like Cherry Coke.
The Zero version of the flavor tastes very similar, but it has even darker notes and comes across as a bit sweeter despite having no sugar. I prefer the full sugar version easily. But if you’re a Coke Zero drinker, the sugarless version is likely more up your alley.
The Bottom Line:
Unfortunately, as cool as I think this soda is from a conceptual standpoint, I don’t know that I need a coconut, cotton candy, marshmallow-flavored soda. Coca-Cola Move is interesting, and as a soda drinker, I appreciate that it’s a unique flavor that doesn’t exist anywhere else. For that reason alone, it’s worth seeking out. But at the end of the day, I rather just have a classic Coke.
We don’t talk enough about the meteoric rise of Chance the Rapper. Just 10 years ago, Chance was known less as “the rapper” and more as Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, a Chicago high school student who had been suspended for 10-days for marijuana possession. That 10-day suspension gave Chance the opportunity to drill down and focus on his passion for rap, giving the world his debut mixtape 10 Day, a release that put Chance’s name on everyone’s radar and even garnered comparisons to fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West.
He followed up that release just a year later with the modern classic, Acid Rap, and then the beloved ColoringBook, which led to more critical acclaim, a record label bidding war, and multiple tv appearances. Chance showed up on everything from The Eric Andre Show to Ellen DeGeneres, eventually landing a dual role as host and musical guest on SNL (he was also the Obama family’s favorite rapper and regular guest). By the decade’s end, Chance would score a small role in The Lion King, befriend and collaborate with his hero Kanye West (producing Kanye’s best late-period song, “Ultra Light Beam”) and serve as the new host of the relaunched Punk’d.
Even your grandma knows who Chance the Rapper is. And while that doesn’t sound like the coolest flex, it certainly signifies just how huge Chance has really become.
If those bonafides aren’t enough to convince you, Chance has now landed the ultimate collaboration — his very own Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor — Mint Chocolate Chance. Now Lil’ Chano from 79th sits alongside other cultural giants like Jerry Garcia, Phish, and Stephen Colbert as his new flavor joins Ben & Jerry’s permanent roster of flavors.
But is Mint Chocolate Chance any good? We tried the new ice cream flavor to find out!
Mint Chocolate Chance
Dane Rivera
Mint Chocolate Chance, perhaps unsurprisingly, features a cool and refreshing mint chocolate base with chunks of brownie bites inside. Think mint chocolate chip ice cream with the chips replaced by giant pieces of soft, fudgy brownie. The flavor was apparently inspired by Chance’s childhood practice of mixing his favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream with his mother’s homemade brownies.
“It amazes me that no one thought to combine brownies and mint chocolate chip and I can’t wait to share it with everyone,” Chance said of the new flavor.
He’s right — how the hell is this a new flavor? It seems like one of the most obvious flavor combinations of all time! So it shouldn’t surprise you when I say that it works, because Mint Chocolate Chance is goddamn (forgive me Chance) delicious. The ice cream is wonderfully rich and creamy, it’s so thick and dense that it actually bent my spoon the first time I tried to scoop it out of the pint. Use an ice cream scooper. The brownies are sourced from New York’s Greyston Bakery, which prides itself on its use of real quality ingredients, and that commitment to craft shines through here.
Dane Rivera
A lot of times ice cream fillings, while always appreciated, are of subpar quality. It’s easy to hide grainy cookie dough or a subpar almond under layers of sweet, rich ice cream, who’s going to notice? Me, that’s who. So I’m really loving how good these brownie bites are, they are somehow still soft despite being totally frozen. It’s not quite as delicious as adding a warm fresh-baked brownie to your bowl of ice cream, but it comes pretty damn close. The mix of brownie and mint tastes like the best Andes mint you’ve ever had.
If your mouth is watering but ice cream is something you can only stomach a spoonful at a time, you’ll be happy to know Mint Chocolate Chance is also available in non-dairy form. The dairy-free version is made utilizing sunflower butter, which helps to keep the ice cream dense and creamy and not weird and icy like most dairy-free ice creams tend to be. The flavor isn’t quite as good though, it’s a bit duller in comparison to the OG Mint Chocolate Chance. Maybe that’s something I wouldn’t notice if I wasn’t eating them side by side, but I’m not about to sit here and tell you they taste nearly the same, they don’t really.
Dane Rivera
As is the case with most celebrity Ben & Jerry’s flavors, a percentage of sales of Mint Chocolate Chance will go to charity, in this case, Chance’s own five-year-old non-profit SocialWorks, which concerns itself with empowering Chicago youth through arts, education, and civic engagement, with programming that focuses on education, homelessness, mental health, and performing and literary arts.
Chance, who cut his teeth at open mics at libraries and after-school programs alongside fellow Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, has come full-circle in his career. Scoring his own delicious ice cream flavor from one of the most well-loved ice cream brands in the country feels like a fitting trophy as he approaches the ten-year anniversary of his first mixtape.
The Bottom Line:
A great addition to Ben & Jerry’s permanent lineup but opt for the dairy version over its less flavorful dairy-free counterpart. Imagine the thickest, creamiest mint chocolate ice cream you’ve ever had with big fudge brownies bites in each bite. Simple. Easy. Delicious.
