When you open the door of Lizzy B’s Sweet Celebrations, you are enveloped in baking aromas that emanate from the kitchen. As you peruse the entire room, you see nothing but pink walls, bright decorations, and beautiful sweet creations. You may be overcome with childlike excitement as you approach the freezer full of 28 classic Praline’s ice cream flavors. To say the least, Lizzy B’s epitomizes the concept of a family sweet shop.
Lizzy B’s, which opened two years ago, is located on Main Street between College Street and William Street. It is managed by long-time baker Rosanne Bickford, who grew up working for her father’s successful deli and bakery business. After a couple of leaps of faith, she ended up purchasing the storefront for Lizzy B’s here in Middletown at a location that previously housed Baskin-Robbins. Preserving the tradition of ice cream in this particular Main Street venue, she opened Praline’s Ice Cream.
Praline’s is a popular ice cream brand among Connecticut natives; it was created in Wallingford twenty-five years ago and is still only distributed within the state. Given that Praline’s was deemed “Connecticut’s Original Supreme Premium Ice Cream maker,” it’s no wonder that the ice cream is one of the store’s biggest draws.
“My favorite ice cream flavor is the Swiss Chocolate Almond; close second is Graham Cracker Smacker,” Bickford said. “But our best selling flavors are Bees Knees and Espresso Ripple Bean.”
However, many people seem to overlook the fact that Lizzy B’s is primarily a shop for sweets and baked goods that just happens to also serve ice cream. In fact, Lizzy B’s—named after Bickford’s 23-year-old daughter, Jennifer Elizabeth Bickford—is frequently mistaken for just a Praline’s shop. If you can ever peel your eyes from the incredible ice cream flavors, you will see everything else this store has to offer: baked goods, candy, and other dessert options.
“Some of the things we sell include pies, cannolis, cookies, cupcakes, lemon bars, brownies, chocolate-covered oreos, chocolate-covered pretzels, three-inch peanut butter cups, rice crispies, marshmallows, and homemade waffle cones and bowls,” Bickford said. “But stuff changes all the time because we’re so small. We don’t have a menu, per se.”
Of course, ice cream sundaes were the first thing that came to our minds when Bickford told us about the range of baked goods.
“We have something called Chocolate City: a brownie with two scoops of ice cream with hot fudge and homemade whipped cream,” Bickford explained. “We also have a Lizzy B Sundae, a cupcake with two scoops of ice cream with hot fudge and whipped cream. We have tons of toppings: strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, M&Ms, Reese’s, gummy bears, cinnamon hearts for Valentine’s Day, hot peanut butter, caramel, and fudge. We also make homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches and sell frozen yogurt and low-fat low-sugar ice cream.”
Calling in to make a custom order is also an option, and you can even get it delivered for free for a 10-dollar minimum. Why not order in a delicious dessert as a special treat? If you’re not sure what to get, Bickford told us that Valerie, one of the bakers, makes a spectacular cannoli cake: a French vanilla cake with Italian cream in the middle and a sweet mascarpone frosting.
There seems to be a great deal on the horizon for this popular sweet shop. The store will soon be receiving a soft-serve ice cream machine as well as a new line of fudge to sell in the store. If that isn’t enticing enough, Bickford is also offering free coffee to Wesleyan students after 6 p.m., and would like to start partnering with more student organizations to do fundraisers and promotions.
With amazing treats of all varieties, it is clear that Bickford and the Lizzy B’s team are making great strides toward becoming an integral “sweet spot” within the Middletown and Wesleyan communities. We will be sure to be on the lookout for new ice cream flavors, more baked creations, remarkable imported candies, and dental cavities.