"OPAQUE"  Explores Color & Flavor with LTO Ice Cream and Immersive Experience

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What happens when you take the vibrant, colorful, nostalgic experience of ice cream and rely on other senses to rethink how it should look and taste? Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has joined forces with artist Cj Hendry for a provocative exploration of color and flavor. Launching on August 14, OPAQUE — both an all-black limited-edition ice cream and New York City pop-up — is a sensory experience that immerses viewers beyond the visual, reframes our relationship to ice cream, and uses fine art to explore the boundaries between art and consumption.

OPAQUE — a jet black ice cream made with black cocoa, espresso fudge, and balsamic cherry — strips the traditionally vibrant ice cream experience of all color. An edible work of art that speaks to Jeni's roots in the art world, OPAQUE transforms a familiar treat into an experience that prompts guests to reconsider how they contextualize ice cream.

Developed around Cj Hendry's simple yet open-to-interpretation directive of "black," Jeni's crafted a flavor that is not only shocking in its hue, but stop-you-in-your-tracks delicious. What initially appears monolithic and unfamiliar, by design, invites the imbiber to peel back the layers that exist within the ice cream without relying on visual cues to hint at the flavor. Ribbons of tart cherry balsamic jam (dyed black with all-natural ingredients) and creamy espresso fudge are encapsulated in rich cocoa ice cream, but, as the OPAQUE name suggests, become nearly indistinguishable from the ice cream itself. The resulting flavor is undeniably familiar and lies in stark contrast to its appearance.

To bring the flavor to life, Hendry and Jeni's will unveil a three-day, immersive pop-up ice cream shop in New York City, open August 15–17. Known for her hyper-realistic artwork and immersive installations, Cj Hendry has inverted the colorful experience of ice cream, creating a completely monochromatic shop and unveiling seven new original works created exclusively for the collaboration and available for purchase, with the largest piece on display at the pop-up. Every detail — from the design of the sable space, to collaboration merch, limited edition prints, custom black ice cream cones (Jeni's signature Buttercrisp Waffle Cones, turned black), and scoops of the flavor — is made to subvert the endless appeal of ice cream. As with the flavor itself, the pop-up shop is devoid of color, but as it unfolds, so too do the nuances of the space and the artwork.

"We wanted to create an experience that pushes sensory boundaries," said Hendry. "Removing color makes you feel everything else more deeply — the texture, the taste, the emotion. It's quiet, it's bold, it's unlike any other ice cream shop you've ever stepped inside."

Jeni's worked hand-in-hand with Hendry over several months to create OPAQUE, formulating a naturally black ice cream with layers of depth and contrast — just like Hendry's work. "This wasn't just about creating a 'black' flavor," said Beth Stallings, Director of Innovation at Jeni's. "It was about creating something that is layers deep, that feels like an excavation of flavor. With OPAQUE, guests will have to rely on their senses, allowing the flavor to unfold with each bite."

The OPAQUE pop-up will be open to the public from August 15–17 from 12pm to 7pm, at 390 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012, offering both scoops and pints of OPAQUE. The limited-edition flavor will be available in all Jeni's scoop shops and online at jenis.com starting August 14, with Cj's collaboration works going on sale at 7pm on August 17 at cjhendrystudio.com. 

Media Contacts:
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream:
The Brand Guild
jenis@thebrandguild.com

Cj Hendry:
Maxime Richard | Maximus Communications
M@MaximusCommunications.com

About Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is an American ice cream company devoted to making the finest ice creams the world has ever known. Founded in 2002 by James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker Jeni Britton, Jeni's has emerged over the past 20 years as the new standard by which all other ice creams are judged. Jeni's continues to make one-of-a-kind flavors with Direct and Fair Trade ingredients and super fresh milk from family dairy farms. Today, Jeni's is a Certified B Corporation known for its social, environmental, and business leadership with more than 90 scoop shops, an online shop at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country.

About Cj Hendry
Cj Hendry is renowned for her hyper-realistic, large-scale drawings and immersive installations that transform everyday objects into extraordinary experiences. Her work often explores themes of consumerism, material culture, and nostalgia, inviting viewers to engage with familiar subjects in novel and thought-provoking ways.

Through immersive experiences, Hendry challenges traditional boundaries between art and audience, transforming passive observation into active participation. Her meticulous attention to detail and innovative use of space prompt viewers to reconsider the ordinary, highlighting the profound impact of context and presentation in shaping our perceptions.

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