Nellie's Ice Cream

Owners Lara Hammel and Jeff Sommers were born and raised in Minnesota. They met as students at Hamline University in St. Paul, close to the Minnesota State Fair where Jeff ran his parents’ sausage stand for 12 years. After graduating, Lara attended law school at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, and Jeff taught language arts to middle school students in the Minneapolis Public Schools. They married, and moved to Michigan, where Lara practiced law and Jeff pursued an MFA degree at the University of Michigan. They made small batches of ice cream inside the retail shop’s modest kitchen. They consistently worked to improve quality and refined their techniques guided by the belief that customers know the difference between mediocre and marvelous. Flavors were only offered if they were excellent. They worked hard to find the best cream, the best chocolate, the best fruit, the best vanilla, the best nuts, and the best of all the hundreds of ingredients they use in their roughly 150 flavors. Today, Izzy’s is a St. Paul institution that provides memorable experiences for thousands of visitors every year. With more than a hundred flavors to choose from customers can explore the unique combinations of fresh fruits like peaches and blackberries, local ingredients like Summit Oatmeal Stout and Wild Country maple syrup, and ingredients from around the world like Dutch-processed cocoa and Bourbon vanilla. Whether it’s the smell of a waffle cone cooking as you enter the shop or the variety of samples you enjoy before finally deciding on a flavor, in every visit, you’ll experience an Izzy.