Jimmy Fallon's New Ice Cream Flavor

If you have been following along at home, you all know that I am just not a dessert person. So when Andrea Strong of The Strong Buzz asked me to cover the press conference for the release of Jimmy Fallon's new ice cream flavor with Ben & Jerry's, I was excited at the opportunity but told myself I just wouldn't be eating the ice cream. When I found out that the flavor was more salty than sweet, I grabbed a spoon and dug right in! Here is the article I wrote for The Strong Buzz about the event (I took the photo too!):

Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack (Ben & Jerry's Newest Ice Cream Flavor!!)

"This is the best ice cream flavor I’ve ever had in my entire life!” exclaimed Jimmy Fallon as he unveiled his new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream offering, Late Night Snack. The new flavor was unveiled at a press conference in New York City to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of his comedy talk-show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the ice cream company’s co-founders better known as Ben & Jerry, were there with Fallon as Late Night Snack was revealed.


Fallon explained that he wanted to come up with a flavor that was in tune with what the folks at home would be snacking on while watching his show. Neither pretzels nor popcorn seemed like the answer. His preference? Chocolate-covered Kettle potato chips, which were transformed into clusters and folded into vanilla ice cream with salty caramel swirls in creating “Late Night Snack."


The idea to collaborate with Ben & Jerry's came about when Fallon and house band The Roots spoofed South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo by chanting about delicious Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. A video of this skit, aptly titled Ladysmith Snack Mambazo can be seen here.


In addition to presenting Late Night Snack, the trio spoke about the importance of using Fair Trade products. Fair Trade supports fair wages, a safe work environment, sustainability for the land, animal husbandry and development for farming communities. Ben & Jerry’s pledged last month that their product line would be converted to Fair Trade certified by 2013.


In accordance with those ideals, the vanilla used in Late Night Snack’s ice cream and the cocoa used in the potato chip clusters are both Fair Trade-certified products. Cohen even sported a “Fair Trade” t-shirt under his jacket, flashing it to the crowd several times. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of the ice cream will go towards the Fair Trade Universities program to encourage the use of Fair Trade products on college campuses around the country. Cohen, Greenfield and Fallon were all incredibly excited at the opportunity to support the Fair Trade movement with their new ice cream flavor.


For video footage of the press conference and backstage interviews with the 3 men, check out this video provided by Bader TV News NYC: Late Night Snack Video


Thanks to Andrea Strong for the opportunity, and to Late Night Snack for showing me that even I, a lactose-intolerant dessert naysayer can enjoy ice cream! Have any of you tried Late Night Snack yet? What do you think?

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie