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It Could Be A Historically Awful White Sox Season. A Viral Milkshake Is Saving Fans.

CHICAGO — You don't expect to be in this situation, the toast(ed marshmallow) of Chicago, but in baseball, like in life, sometimes good fortune finds you before you even find yourself.

That's the life right now for the humble Campfire Milkshake, a confectionary comet that expected to be just a part of the menu and winds up as the main attraction in what's looking like a historically awful White Sox season.

"It's just one of those things," Levy executive chef Ryan Craig said to me Sunday. "It just took off."

Meanwhile, the Sox are going down. In flames. To put it in Campfire Milkshake terms, they are the marshmallows and the rest of baseball is the butane torch.

If you're just reading this story because it's about a viral milkshake, let's catch you up on the team.

It's been a bit of a rough start for the South Siders, which is like saying the Bears have struggled some to find a franchise quarterback over the years.

At 2-13, the Sox are off to the worst start in franchise history, are the worst team in baseball and could easily surpass the organizational mark for most losses in the season, which is 106. In another hapless performance Sunday, the Sox lost to the Reds 11-4 to finish off a three-game sweep in which they were outscored 27-5.

They have scored just 34 runs in 15 games, and in a nine-game span, their 2-3-4 hitters Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez each hurt themselves while running to or around first base.

After a 101-loss season, an offseason focused on acquiring cheap pitching and glove-first infielders and a spring-training trade of ace Dylan Cease, the Sox were already projected to be somewhere between bad to very bad in 2024. But the gap between those meager expectations and the current ugly reality is larger than the chasm between rows of fans in the upper deck.

The mood around the ballpark reflects the cold reality of a team going nowhere. Pretty much everyone who works for the team, from executives to game-day employees, is dunking on the team's performance at will.

These people have seen a lot of bad baseball, but as one longtime employee said to me Sunday: "I don't know what to call this."

All that remains between them and complete infamy is the milkshake.

"It's good attention for us," said Ross Virando, the team's director of food and beverage. "It's necessary."

Brooks Boyer, the Sox's chief revenue and marketing officer, was so giddy when I said I was going to write about it Sunday, he waved over Virando and Craig to talk to me on the field.

As conversations go before a White Sox game, it was about as upbeat as could be. As often is the case, the food and beverages at 35th and Shields are more enticing than the on-field product.

If the White Sox ever move to Nashville, they could just turn the stadium into an upscale farmers market.

As for the Campfire Milkshake, it's s'mores-inspired, a chocolate shake with graham crackers mixed in the whipped cream and topped with marshmallows and a chunk of Hershey's. It's served in a plastic replica of an old-school sundae glass with real melted chocolate at the top that requires time and effort from the kitchen staff.

It's not one of those monstrosities you see at those trendy Instagram-friendly dessert spots. It's essentially a normal-size chocolate shake, and yes, it's very good.

The Sox have done this kind of shtick before with churro-flavored shakes, but the campfire one caught on after they unveiled it at their annual "Heart Attack Menu" media preview.

"You never know what's gonna go viral," said Craig, who previously worked in Oklahoma City. "That's the thing with food. But I think it was the relatability of it. Everyone has had a s'mores before. And then I kind of took it to the next level, dipping all the cups into chocolate. It just looks very photogenic."

Once the Sox realized they had something here, they started marketing the heck out of it, placing it on the broadcasts and showing it on their social media channels.

Hey, it's either that or remind people that Andrew Benintendi signed the biggest free-agent contract in Sox history.

There isn't a lot of good news to highlight these days. Sunday's starter Michael Soroka has a 6.98 ERA and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) in four starts. The team's focus on defensive improvement hasn't paid dividends, and the Sox can't hit their way out of a paper bag. If it wasn't for Garrett Crochet and maybe Gavin Sheets, the milkshake would be the best bet to be the team's All-Star rep.

While the Sox's ROI on free agents like Benintendi has been in the negative, at least the milkshake is driving some revenue, just not as much as you might think.

The drink costs $15 ($16.61 with tax), which is about the same as a Blue Moon. But because it's a specialty item that requires fresh ingredients, they have been capping it at 300 a game at the 100-level Vizzy bar and an additional 50-100 for the Stadium Club.

"When you make a signature item, a lot of times, it's not designed to sell 3,000 units a day," Craig said. "It's designed to be awesome, but it takes a lot of prep. There was a whole crew in the back (Saturday) after the game, dipping milkshake glasses in the chocolate. It's a process."

Craig and his team quickly realized they had to switch from simple blenders to a "giant handheld stick blender" to make five-gallon mixes because of the demand. Along with dipping the milkshake glasses in melting chocolate (like the kind you see in fountains), they pre-toast the marshmallows in the oven.

The Sox said the drink was initially planned to be available in the club, but with the fans interested, the Sox said let them drink shakes.

With that in mind, Craig said they bumped the cap to 400 for Sunday's game because they sold out by the fourth inning Saturday. A sunny day in the upper 70s could only help.

His instincts were correct as they eclipsed the season sales record by selling 453 on Sunday, which means about 2.5 percent of the crowd had one. When I met him at the stand in the third inning, one woman told us she had made multiple trips already to buy them for her group. A long line soon formed.

As the shakes sold out during the top of the seventh inning, the Reds were tacking on four insurance runs. It was an ice-cold encapsulation of the season so far.

(Top photo: Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)

What's That? A New Go-to Spot For Milkshakes Is Coming To Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Ann Arbor will soon have a new place for people to get their fill of milkshakes, chocolate and ice cream sundaes.

Pittsburgh-based MilkShake Factory is targeting a July opening at 326 S. Maple St., Suite 326, near the Westgate Shopping Center and next door to the bakery café chain, Tous Les Jours, that opened in November 2023.

Related: What's that? New bakery café offers French, Asian inspired treats

MilkShake Factory President Dan Reese is the owner behind the Ann Arbor location. He has lived in the city for the last five years and has worked with the company for nine years.

"It's a pretty unique concept in terms of what we deliver," he said. "There are some nice dessert concepts around Ann Arbor, but no one is doing exactly what we are doing."

MilkShake Factory is known for offering "the best milkshakes and chocolate," since the company prides itself on quality and makes its own ice cream, syrups and whipped cream, Reese said.

"(We use) all really high-quality ingredients and that ladders up to the best milkshake you've ever had," he said.

MilkShake Factory's Campfire S'mores milkshake that features honey grahams, marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate chips, fudge and toasted marshmallow creme.Photo Courtesy MilkShake Factory

Milkshake flavors include classics like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cookies and cream along with gourmet choices like Bananas Foster, peanut butter brownie and chocolate raspberry truffle.

The company also offers a signature section which features its "most premium tier of milkshakes," Reese said, adding some popular options include chocolate-dipped strawberry and campfire s'mores.

Those who can't have dairy shouldn't worry about missing out. MilkShake Factory also has dairy-free options available for chocolate, cookies and cream, peanut butter and strawberry.

"No one can believe they're dairy-free," Reese said. "They're the best dairy-free milkshakes you've ever had. I promise you that."

The founders of MilkShake Factory are fourth-generation chocolatiers whose great grandparents began their chocolate shop and ice cream soda fountain in Pittsburgh in 1914 after immigrating from Greece.

Over the years, different generations have taken their own approach to the business, but it wasn't until 2003 that MilkShake Factory really got its start at becoming known for what it is today.

The business continues its 1914 legacy by using the family's recipes for ice cream and chocolate and serves handspun shakes, craft sundaes and gourmet chocolates.

The company has 11 locations in Pennsylvania and is also working on opening two other locations in North Carolina and Utah, according to its website.

MilkShake Factory began franchising its business last year, but Reese said the company is currently anticipating 70 franchise locations will open around the country. Ann Arbor is set to be the company's third franchise location and plans to hire around 25 employees, Reese said.

When it comes to opening in Ann Arbor, Reese is looking forward to offering a "dessert destination," that has something for everybody.

"People always walk in with a smile on their face, and we just have to make sure they leave with one," Reese said. "It's just a really fun place for the community to be and it's a real positive atmosphere."

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The Key Step For Velvety Smooth Milkshakes Every Time

Whether sipping chocolate milkshakes from your favorite diner or savoring a strawberry milkshake at a restaurant, the texture of these rich, smooth sweet treats makes for an order that is tough to beat. Creamy and decadent, milkshakes may seem straightforward to put together at home, but a few strategic moves can help place your homemade creations on par with what you've sampled at restaurants.

Letting the ice cream you use to make the milkshake soften slightly before adding it to your food processor or blender may sound like a small move without much impact, but it's actually the crucial tip you need for the best texture. Slightly warmed and softened ice cream added to your milkshake recipe will result in a creamy texture that rivals milkshakes poured out of cold tin containers at a classic diner. Setting a carton of ice cream on your kitchen countertop before getting to work will eliminate any ice crystals that may have formed while the ice cream waited for you in the freezer. The goal is to scoop the ice cream easily out of the container instead of having to dig it out of the pint forcefully.

Read more: 23 Best Ice Cream Brands Ranked

scooping soft vanilla ice cream - Edwin Tan /Getty Images

Should you have the prudence to plan your milkshake-making activities in advance, you can set your ice cream into the fridge to soften gradually so that a half hour later you have exactly what you need to blend up a creamy drink. If a sudden milkshake urge strikes, a microwave can also be used to melt your ice cream faster, but you may find that your scoops won't have evenly softened, and your ice cream is then cold in some sections and melty in others. So, if you can, wait for that extra 30 minutes.

Once your milkshake has been blended to smooth perfection, don't forget to top it with home-whipped cream, flavored syrup, crumbled cookies, shavings of chocolate, or ground nuts of your choice. The beauty of making it a home is that you can put whatever you like in there: From adding tahini to splashing in a bit of booze to your milkshake, making a shake at home puts full creativity into your hands. The extra effort you put in to nail your milkshake recipes may have you whipping up the treat with more regularity. After mastering the artful technique of pouring yourself a decadent milkshake at home, you may be using the money you save to stock your freezer with even more ice cream varieties.

Read the original article on Tasting Table

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100 dishes from bygone Iowa City-area restaurants, remembered by LV readers - Little Village