Dana Salls Cree founded Pretty Cool Ice Cream in 2018 after a 20 year as a pastry chef in some of the the worlds best restaurants. Salls Cree’s desserts have earned her earned her two Outstanding Pastry Chef nominations from The James Beard Foundation, as well as The Jean Banchet award for Best Pastry Chef.
Also a food writer, Salls Cree’s work has appeared globally in Food and Wine, The Take Out, The London Guardian, and her blog The Pastry Department was nominated for a Saveur Blog Award for her writing about desserts through the professional lense. In 2017 Salls Cree penned her first book, Hello My Name Is Ice Cream; the art and science of the scoop, which has taught both home cooks and pro’s about making ice cream and was awarded the prestigious IACP Award in the Single Subject category.
After attending the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course, aka Ice Cream College, Salls Cree opened Pretty Cool Ice Cream in partnership with Michael Ciapciak of Bang Bang Pie. The shop, located in the Logan Square neighborhood specializes in frozen novelties, like ice cream bars, popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, and push pops. Here Salls Cree continues to push the boundaries of frozen novelties while maintaining a visually striking brand and building community within Chicago.
