Ryan Kurr: Sharing Words with an Ice Cream Witch
During a time of fog and major discomfort, how does one cultivate the sweetness of self-made magic?
Where does the sour come into play? How does it serve the sweet? Flavor profiles have a magic all of their own, which some are perhaps naturally gifted at tapping into and sharing. I had the pleasure of exploring the relationship between taste and magic with New Orleans ice cream maker behind Arcana Creamery, pastry chef, author and witch Ryan Kurr. I asked him a few questions, including his thoughts on this very question regarding the relationships between flavor - particularly sour and sweet. There is a divine balance between the two, and Ryan explains what that relationship means, both creatively and magically.
Interested in crafting your own magical ice cream from home? Ryan shared some recipes with our Coven members! Click the link here to access.
SO RYAN, WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
When people ask where I'm from, I always have a hard time giving an answer. I was born in Cedar Rapids Iowa, but I don't consider that home, as we moved to Minnesota when I was only a year old. I grew up in many cities there, and if I were to designate a hometown, it would be Bloomington, Minnesota. However, I don't consider that home. I feel that it is something I am continually searching for. I moved from Minnesota, to Scotland for 5 months where I experienced my first reiki session, that left me in tears and emotionally exhausted. Then I returned to the states, became a reiki practitioner, packed up my car, sold most of my belongings, quit my job and drove out to San Francisco. I was there for 5 years. It was there that I learned the art of skilled touch, as my reiki master and massage therapy instructor referred to massage therapy. From there, I took a job as a massage therapist in Iceland. I had always had a love affair with that country, from its - to quote Björk - emotional landscapes and peculiar sense of isolation and beauty. I was there for only a few short months, due to my employer filing my immigration paperwork incorrectly. Then I moved to Chicago where I stayed for 7 years. I went to pastry school and worked in some high profile kitchens and found it incredibly disagreeable with my personality. Chicago is the city that feels the most like home. It was also where I started to explore other magical and spiritual practices. I learned as much as I could about pagan practices, rituals, chakras, spells, crystals and gemstones, meditation, Vodou, psychic energy, candle and color magic and the language of herbs.
WOW, I RESONATE A LOT WITH YOUR TRAJECTORY. YOU’RE NOT A LIBRA, ARE YOU?
Aries Sun, Moon, Mars and Venus, Pisces Rising. :)
ICE CREAM MUST COME IN HANDY WITH ALL THAT FIRE IN YOUR CHART. CARE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR HISTORY WITH MAGIC?
I had always been interested in the arcane, the esoteric. I remember a moment in my childhood when I discovered my mother sitting on the floor before a bowl of water and arranging tarot cards in a spread. Later I discovered a pouch of runes too. But what felt like a phase for her became a way of life for me. I am of the belief that we never master anything, and there are no masters, only people who know more than you do. It was in Chicago that I bought a leather-bound book and consecrated it as my grimoire, to which I added spells I had crafted, recipes and instructions for various elixirs, talismans and rituals. The grimoire tells its own story...if you flip page by page... you can see a transformation as you transition from the banal, beginning pages with no illustrations and handwritten only in black ink, to the middle, where hints of gold leaf began to fleck the pages, and then watercolors...shades of purple, pink, blue, full paintings, sketches and intricate designs fill the pages. Some pages have burned edges, some have a windowpane cut out of the center. When I flip through it now, it's like watching someone grow up...someone learning different things, becoming more...themself.
WITNESSING OUR CHANGES AND TRACKING GROWTH IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF MAGIC, BOTH PERSONALLY AND GENERATIONALLY. HOW DOES YOUR HERITAGE PLAY INTO THINGS?
I come from a very mixed family. My mother is of African, Irish, Italian and Native American heritage, and my father was of German and Polish. With my heritage from all corners of the globe, I find it quite fitting to find that my practice follows a similar sort of style. As I mentioned, I'm a quadruple Aries...an Aries Sun, Moon, Mars and Venus. I'm very impatient, and I like things on my terms with no one to tell me what to do or how. I believe it's safe to assume that attitude is how my practice became so inclusive of so many different cultures and ideals, always in a respectful manner of course. I always encourage everyone to find their own way and what works for them. For some people, that's Wicca...for others, perhaps it's Vodou or Shamanism...and for many people it might be none of those things, all of those things or both. When people ask what to believe, I always encourage them to trust their vibes and be accepting of the truth of others.
WELL SAID. MAGIC IS PERSONAL, AND COMES IN MANY FORMS. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS A WITCH?
The archetype of the witch is a multi-faceted one. The beauty of what defines a witch lies in its difficulty to do so. Some boil herbs in cauldrons or in the comfort of their kitchen, while others gather storm water and forage for pinecones under the full moon. They can be women, men, and nonbinary folx. Some have pink hair, some work corporate jobs. Others wear crystals, and some interpret the messages hidden within a tarot spread. Most commonly, “witch” is a title often given to one’s self because they connect with what it means for them. Uncompromising in their beliefs, intentions and manifestations. There is a freedom in this kind of confidence, one that is often overlooked, misunderstood and under-appreciated. To be a witch is to create…to manifest…to communicate. As energy never dies, it only changes form and it is how we manifest and use energy that makes the difference. I am a witch of many forms and I wear many hats, although none of them pointy.
WHAT IS AN ICE CREAM WITCH?
It was when I moved from Chicago to New Orleans in the fall of 2016 that I adopted the term “Ice Cream Witch.” Being a trained pastry chef, I aimed to fuse my spirituality with cooking through the medium of ice cream. As I studied the history of astrology and dug into what was associated with each sign of the Zodiac, I noticed that there were more than just colors, gemstones and planets that were linked to the signs, there were also foods, herbs and spices. After many years of experimenting with flavors and techniques, I came up a line of Zodiac ice creams that I branded under the name Arcana Creamery, a small at-home business of ice cream. Food, even dessert, has always been a form of communication, a language of love, an expression of an idea. I wanted to evoke the common characteristics of each sign while staying true to my style. I believe ice cream never goes out of season, no matter where you live or how cold it is outside. I invite everyone to try and make a batch of ice cream. The process is actually quite simple and while there is a science to it, if you follow a few basic steps, anyone can make edible magic.
HOW DO YOU CONJURE MAGIC THROUGH FLAVOR?
The more I played around with flavor profiles, the more I learned what worked and what didn't. As we are in the middle of some truly crazy times with many sour notes, let's focus on the sour. It really is a magnificent gift as far as a flavor enhancer. It follows closely behind the two big power horses in both sweet and savory food, salt and sugar. It has to do with acidity, and trying to brighten the dish's character and bring everything into balance. Salt tends to make food taste, strangely enough, more like itself, and adding a little bit of acidity, say in the form of lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar, honey (the list goes on really) is crucial to the element of balance, which is truly the goal of any dish.
Taurus ice cream by Ryan Kurr: white chocolate cassis
HOW DOES SOUR RELATE TO SWEET?
Sour flavors cut through the richness. It lightens the load on the tongue and makes food more palatable, more interesting. Sourness can also balance robust ingredients like sharp spices or intensely sweet, which is why you often see an acidic ingredient like lemon, paired with a fatty fish or a rich ice cream. When I think about creating an ice cream flavor, I try to think about what I want to communicate with the flavor. Once I sort that out, I try to think of the best ingredients and flavor combinations, that will work well together. Like pairing strawberry with lemon or balsamic, or orange zest in a bourbon butterscotch. If something is too sweet, usually you can tone it down by adding something acidic. If something is too sweet, or too rich AND too sweet, you wont be able to keep eating it. Sourness compliments sweetness, much in the same way that saltiness pairs well with sweetness. Sourness is the Sun card in the tarot, pleasure, bursting with radiance, joy and balance. The sun nourishes and purifies, so think of it that way when working with sugar. How can you brighten and nourish the dish with a little bit of sunshine? Sourness shines light on the sweet ingredients, highlighting them, like the sun on a field of wildflowers. Even when I ask people what their dream flavor would be, I try to figure out how I can take the flavors they've given me and balance them.
HOW DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN FIND THIS MAGICAL BALANCE FOR THEMSELVES?
Balance, of course, doesn't have to be linked to just food. It is what we are constantly striving for in every part of our lives. It is why we take deep breaths, it is why we exercise, or take vacations, luxurious baths or buy a pint of ice cream every now and then. It was this awareness of the importance of balance that led me to start working on a written trilogy that was all about bringing the world back into energetic balance.
SAY MORE ABOUT YOUR BOOKS!
Back in 2013, I began researching all areas of mysticism. A few years later, I crafted everything I knew into my first novel of the Esoteric Alchemy series, "Sage, Smoke & Fire," about a group of five strangers with. newly awakened gifts, brought together to bring the world back into mental, physical and spiritual balance. It was a serious departure from my previous memoir about working in the pastry kitchens in Chicago. More about Sage, Smoke & Fire, including a book trailer, can be found at ryankurr.com, or Youtube.
YOU MENTIONED DREAM FLAVORS - WHO HAVE YOU CREATED THESE FOR?
I've done this with a few celebrities including: Lena Headey, Luke Cook, Kristin Bauer Van Straten, Giles Matthey, Rob Kazinsky, Rutina Wesley and Mariana Klaveno. The video requests for these ice creams, along with pictures of the finished products can be found on my Instagram!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, RYAN! IT’S BEEN AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO CHAT WITH YOU.
Thank you again so much for the opportunity; it was a delightful experience and I'm honored to be included.
Interested in crafting your own magical ice cream from home? Click the button below to become a Witch’s Sabbath Coven member and access suggested recipes crafted by Ryan:
Art by Justin ‘Scrappers’ Morrison