“We’re really excited to bring Denver its first plant-based and gluten-free ice cream shop,” says Mike Doucette, who co-owns Sweet Izzy with his wife, Elizabeth. Named after their daughter, the dairy-, soy- and gluten-free ice cream parlor will open at 3003 East Third Avenue in Cherry Creek North in the next few weeks following final inspections and production.
The Doucettes have lived in the Cherry Creek neighborhood since 2012, but opened the first Sweet Izzy location over 2,000 miles away, in their hometown on Cape Cod. The seasonal shop in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, debuted in July 2020. The couple had initially planned to open a Denver shop simultaneously, but the pandemic and construction have caused delays.
However, more than two years in business has allowed the Doucettes to confirm that there’s a market for their vegan-friendly ice cream — even among a plethora of traditional ice cream shops. “Cape Cod is very ice cream-centric. It’s special to the local community and people who vacation on the Cape,” comments Doucette.
Sweet Izzy is the peninsula’s first shop of its kind, and its differentiators were largely inspired by Elizabeth, who is a vegan holistic health coach. Doucette explains, “My wife was very interested in having a place where everything was a ‘yes’ on the menu,” and so they started testing recipes at home using a KitchenAid mixer.
After much trial and error, they developed a coconut- and oat milk-based ice cream. There are now nine staple flavors on the menu: cookies and cream, chocolate peanut butter, cookie dough, strawberry, mint chip, chocolate fudge brownie, salted caramel, coffee, and the crowd favorite, coffee Oreo.
Sweet Izzy also has dairy-, soy- and gluten-free soft serve available in chocolate, vanilla and chocolate-vanilla twist. Next summer, the Doucettes hope to install a second soft-serve machine to offer even more flavors and combination options.
On Cape Cod, some of its most popular items are the coffee-infused creations. These include whipped cold brew, a creamy blend of cold brew and soft serve topped with a splash of nitro coffee. For those who prefer eating their ice cream with a spoon, Sweet Izzy has nitro cold brew soft-serve floats.
The Denver location will have all these treats, plus milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits and ice cream cones. Sweet Izzy also rotates in special and seasonal flavors. Doucette is especially excited to share the shop’s pumpkin ice cream, which will be replaced by peppermint bark ice cream during the holiday season.
The Doucettes have lived in the Cherry Creek neighborhood since 2012, but opened the first Sweet Izzy location over 2,000 miles away, in their hometown on Cape Cod. The seasonal shop in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, debuted in July 2020. The couple had initially planned to open a Denver shop simultaneously, but the pandemic and construction have caused delays.
However, more than two years in business has allowed the Doucettes to confirm that there’s a market for their vegan-friendly ice cream — even among a plethora of traditional ice cream shops. “Cape Cod is very ice cream-centric. It’s special to the local community and people who vacation on the Cape,” comments Doucette.
Sweet Izzy is the peninsula’s first shop of its kind, and its differentiators were largely inspired by Elizabeth, who is a vegan holistic health coach. Doucette explains, “My wife was very interested in having a place where everything was a ‘yes’ on the menu,” and so they started testing recipes at home using a KitchenAid mixer.
After much trial and error, they developed a coconut- and oat milk-based ice cream. There are now nine staple flavors on the menu: cookies and cream, chocolate peanut butter, cookie dough, strawberry, mint chip, chocolate fudge brownie, salted caramel, coffee, and the crowd favorite, coffee Oreo.
Sweet Izzy also has dairy-, soy- and gluten-free soft serve available in chocolate, vanilla and chocolate-vanilla twist. Next summer, the Doucettes hope to install a second soft-serve machine to offer even more flavors and combination options.
On Cape Cod, some of its most popular items are the coffee-infused creations. These include whipped cold brew, a creamy blend of cold brew and soft serve topped with a splash of nitro coffee. For those who prefer eating their ice cream with a spoon, Sweet Izzy has nitro cold brew soft-serve floats.
The Denver location will have all these treats, plus milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits and ice cream cones. Sweet Izzy also rotates in special and seasonal flavors. Doucette is especially excited to share the shop’s pumpkin ice cream, which will be replaced by peppermint bark ice cream during the holiday season.
However, the mission at Sweet Izzy is greater than its menu. “It’s so much more than just ice cream,” explains Doucette. “We’re bringing back that experience people have been missing.”
He talks about the nostalgia that ice cream holds for many of us, and recalls one Cape Cod customer who, because of dairy and gluten allergies, hadn’t had an ice cream cone in fifteen years. Another visitor to Sweet Izzy approached the counter, inquiring if the menu was suitable for her child, who had a severe dairy allergy. On receiving confirmation, the mother became emotional and thanked Sweet Izzy for providing her and her family with a feeling of normalcy.
“It’s about connecting with people through ice cream,” comments Doucette. He hopes that like the shop on Cape Cod, the Denver parlor will be driven by community and word-of-mouth recommendations. There are a number of restaurants in the walkable Cherry Creek North district, and Doucette believes Sweet Izzy will be an ideal location to service the need for dessert.
Expect a warm, welcoming aesthetic, complete with cheerful pink murals and white cedar shingles around the countertop, an element inspired by Cape Cod. Doucette also says that he expects to draw an eclectic crowd — not just vegans and those with dietary restrictions. The East Coast shop is popular among all types of eaters, he says, and its fans love the ice cream because it's delicious and it makes them feel better than traditional dairy scoops.
“It’s really cool for us to provide something that checks the boxes for a lot of people, [but] we’re not just trying to sell ice cream," Doucette concludes. "We’re trying to create more beautiful stories and connections.”
He talks about the nostalgia that ice cream holds for many of us, and recalls one Cape Cod customer who, because of dairy and gluten allergies, hadn’t had an ice cream cone in fifteen years. Another visitor to Sweet Izzy approached the counter, inquiring if the menu was suitable for her child, who had a severe dairy allergy. On receiving confirmation, the mother became emotional and thanked Sweet Izzy for providing her and her family with a feeling of normalcy.
“It’s about connecting with people through ice cream,” comments Doucette. He hopes that like the shop on Cape Cod, the Denver parlor will be driven by community and word-of-mouth recommendations. There are a number of restaurants in the walkable Cherry Creek North district, and Doucette believes Sweet Izzy will be an ideal location to service the need for dessert.
Expect a warm, welcoming aesthetic, complete with cheerful pink murals and white cedar shingles around the countertop, an element inspired by Cape Cod. Doucette also says that he expects to draw an eclectic crowd — not just vegans and those with dietary restrictions. The East Coast shop is popular among all types of eaters, he says, and its fans love the ice cream because it's delicious and it makes them feel better than traditional dairy scoops.
“It’s really cool for us to provide something that checks the boxes for a lot of people, [but] we’re not just trying to sell ice cream," Doucette concludes. "We’re trying to create more beautiful stories and connections.”
