Wicked Awesome Ice Cream opens in Lakewood Ranch. It offers a New England twist
A friendly, light-hearted, whimsical, and fun atmosphere was what Michelle Noel was striving for when she opened Wicked Awesome Ice Cream Emporium at 4122 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., in January.
All that, plus top quality, New England-style ice cream with dense, chewy goodness in every bite.
To make her ice cream parlor possible, she needed several things to align, including a desirable space, a public appetite and an exceptional supplier.
She found all three: space next door to the Atria Cafe, located a few doors down from Skyline Chili, an under-served area, and a home-town supplier, Lickity Splits Ice Cream.
“People love ice cream,” Noel said. She saw a natural market with nearby schools and neighborhoods, plus sports events at Premier Sports campus and lots of family events.
“I saw this location and thought this would be a perfect spot,” Noel said.
Lickity Splits was nearby on Lena Road and had built its reputation on quality.
Matt and Jessica Eastman started Lickity Splits in their garage in 2014 and within a few years were supplying premium ice cream to the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bradenton Marauders, as well as to a growing number of restaurants and mom-and-pop operations.
When the Eastmans started Lickity Splits, their top prerequisite was that the business needed to be fun, an outlook shared by Noel..
‘Four of the top 10 states that consume ice cream are in New England,” said Noel, who was born in Framingham Mass., and raised in Derry, N.H.
Noel moved to Lakewood Ranch about seven years ago, attracted by the freshness of the community and its multi-generational demographics. The 102 inches of snow that her community had one winter also helped her decide to move south.
Last year she was “downsized” from her corporate job by the pandemic.
“I had often pondered doing something on the food side of things. My boyfriend and I enjoy food and ice cream,” she said, helping with the decision to open an ice cream parlor.
Matt Eastman went beyond the call of duty by not only supplying top quality, high-butterfat ice cream but also making recommendations on equipment and providing business insights.
“Matt was incredibly helpful to me,” Noel said.
Wicked Awesome Ice Cream offers 36 flavors. Among their most popular are mint chocolate chip, Boston tea party, and cotton candy. Also offered are frappes, the New England version of a milk shake, plus soft serve, and treats such as Brown Bettys, chocolate chunk sea salt cookies, and brownies from the kitchen of Pastries by Mindy.
Noel’s daughter, Julia, assists in the business. Noel also has two other older daughters, Kaila, a a graduate student, and Hannah, an administrative assistant working in Derry.
Wicked Awesome Ice Cream is open 2-9 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 1- p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 1-8 p.m. Sunday. The business s closed on Monday.
For more information, visit wickedawesomeicecream.com or call 941-345-4755.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 12:45 PM.
