Table of Contents
- Overview
- TheNakedNYC YouTube Highlights
- TheNakedNYC Instagram Highlights
- Photo Gallery
- Jeni’s and Cj Hendry Collaboration
- The OPAQUE Ice Cream Flavor
- Development and Intent
- Immersive Pop-Up Experience
- About Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
- About Cj Hendry
- Wrapping Up
Overview
NEW YORK, NY — Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams partners with artist Cj Hendry to redefine how we experience ice cream. They unveil OPAQUE, a jet-black flavor paired with a monochromatic New York City pop-up located at 390 W Broadway. The three-day event challenges visitors to focus on taste, texture, and emotion rather than color. OPAQUE blends black cocoa, espresso fudge, and balsamic cherry for layered, resonant flavor. The pop-up features seven original Cj Hendry artworks, each available for purchase. Guests encounter black waffle cones, sable interiors, and details designed to subvert expectations. Removing color heightens texture, taste, and emotion. The limited edition launches August 14 nationwide, Hendry’s art releases online August 17. For more information, visit jenis.com and cjhendrystudio.com.
TheNakedNYC YouTube Highlights
TheNakedNYC Instagram Highlights
Photo Gallery
Jeni’s and Cj Hendry Collaboration
Jeni’s and Cj Hendry unite culinary craft with contemporary art in OPAQUE, merging an all-black flavor with an immersive NYC pop-up. The experience directs attention away from color and toward taste, texture, and emotion; therefore, it reframes how people engage with ice cream. The flavor arrives August 14 across Jeni’s shops and online; moreover, Hendry’s pieces go live August 17 at 7 p.m. The full banner title, Cj Hendry x Jeni’s Ice Cream OPAQUE, signals an ambitious cultural pairing.
The OPAQUE Ice Cream Flavor
OPAQUE is immediately striking, jet-black by design and concept. Built from black cocoa, espresso fudge, and balsamic cherry, it removes conventional visual cues; therefore, attention shifts to structure, mouthfeel, and aroma. The dessert functions as an edible artwork, reflecting Jeni’s longstanding ties to the art world. Hendry’s single-word brief—black—guided development. The look surprises, the taste delivers comfort and depth. Inky cherry balsamic jam and espresso fudge thread through a rich cocoa base, naturally dyed to match the concept. Despite its stark appearance, the flavor remains warmly familiar.
Development and Intent
Months of collaboration refined a naturally black ice cream with genuine depth and contrast, mirroring Hendry’s practice. Beth Stallings, Jeni’s Director of Innovation, emphasizes that the goal exceeded “making a black flavor”; the team pursued layered complexity—an excavation of taste. Guests must rely on their senses; therefore, each bite reveals structure and nuance gradually.
Immersive Pop-Up Experience
From August 15–17, 12–7 p.m., OPAQUE occupies 390 W Broadway, New York City. Hendry reimagines the colorful ice-cream shop as a fully monochromatic environment. Seven original artworks, created for this project, will be on view and for sale.
Moreover, the sable interior, custom black Buttercrisp Waffle Cones, targeted merchandise, and limited-edition prints challenge ice cream’s playful image. Like the flavor, the space withholds color; therefore, subtleties emerge as guests linger. Visitors can purchase both scoops and pints on-site.
About Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Founded in 2002 by James Beard Award-winner Jeni Britton, Jeni’s is celebrated for inventive, one-of-a-kind flavors. The company’s mission is to craft the finest ice creams in the world; moreover, it sources Direct and Fair Trade ingredients and fresh milk from family dairies. As a Certified B Corporation, Jeni’s meets high social and environmental standards. The brand operates more than 90 scoop shops, sells online, and appears in leading grocery chains nationwide. For more information, visit jenis.com.
About Cj Hendry
Cj Hendry is known for hyper-realistic, large-scale drawings and immersive installations that turn everyday objects into extraordinary experiences. Her work explores consumerism, material culture, and nostalgia, inviting audiences to engage with familiar subjects in fresh ways. She blurs the line between art and audience, converting passive viewing into active participation. With meticulous detail and inventive spatial design, she prompts people to reconsider the ordinary; therefore, her practice highlights how context and presentation shape perception. For more information, visit cjhendrystudio.com.
Wrapping Up
OPAQUE operates as both flavor and thesis, aligning culinary craft with contemporary art to heighten sensory attention. The monochrome concept removes visual shortcuts; therefore, taste, texture, and emotion move to the forefront. Moreover, the project’s layered recipe, site-specific pop-up, and new artworks invite deliberate, curious engagement. For the complete experience, explore the flavor nationwide and visit the New York City installation. For more information, visit jenis.com and cjhendrystudio.com.
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