For Krystal Mack, food is a tool for creative rebellion.
The Essex, Md. native is the owner of Karma Pop and The Pie Cycle, mobile dessert businesses that blend unconventional, locally-sourced ingredients to craft small batches of (seriously delicious) ice pops and pies.
Flavors like raspberry dill, cinnamon maca with maitake mushroom jam and Big Bunny s’more made with a craft chocolate stout and vegan marshmallows, are just a few examples of how far Mack’s imagination can stretch. The measured chemistry of unexpected food pairings is the foundation of Mack’s business and the spark behind what makes her a local “food alchemist.”
“The creativity behind the flavors goes against the grain of what’s traditional in frozen dessert,” Mack said. “It’s a discovery, and it makes the consumer think more about the time and the ingredients that are put into these desserts.”
ABC2 joined Mack in her test kitchen as she tried out samples of a new flavor combination to be sold at an upcoming farmers’ market. Her process begins with produce from area farms and ends with sweet concoctions based on foods currently in season.
Mack creates art with food and she hopes the experience of eating one of her ice pops gets people talking.
“We’re so far removed from where our food comes from,” she said. “If you live in the city, you’re really far removed from the understanding that someone grew your food. I want to remind people that food is a form of activism.”
Watch the video above for more of Mack’s story.
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