LIFE CHANGING VANILLA topped with homemade rum caramel and crisp pearls; COFFEE BROWNIE caffeinated ice cream with chunks of homemade brownies; BAKLAVA All the buttery, nutty flavors with pieces of actual baklava in the mix; HAPPY ACCIDENT Mandarin passion fruit ice cream with dark chocolate bits and candied kumquats; BLUEBERRY LAVENDER Fresh berries mixed with the fragrant herb;
Photography by Venera Alexandrova
Lindsay’s Handmade creates gourmet ice creams in to-die-for flavors
All ice cream is not created equal and there is nobody better to attest to that than Lindsay Grega, owner of Lindsay’s Handmade in South Norwalk.
It all started in 2020. We were knee-deep into quarantine when Grega decided to whip out her ice cream maker and play with different ingredients. Her kids, Kyle (now 8) and Axel (6), tend to go for vanilla soft serve when given the choice, but Grega was on a mission to tempt their palates with new fun flavors. While she jokes that she’s still working on her boys, she has enticed her customers who already can’t get enough of her fab flavor concoctions.
“If your ice cream has candied figs in it, I candied them myself. If it has cranberry jam, I made the jam. If it has fudge, I made it. If there’s bacon—and there IS bacon—I cooked and crumbled and candied it, if there’s toffee, I agonized over it and probably threw away two batches for every one that came out right,” Grega explains. “The best part is being able to create everything the way I want it to be, the best way I possibly can.”
With flavors like I Love You So Matcha (matcha latte ice cream with hand-dipped white chocolate coated bits of rice cake), Happy Accident (Mandarin passion fruit ice cream with dark chocolate drizzle and bits of candied kumquats) and The G.O.A.T (goat cheese-based ice cream with figs and honey) to name just a few, there’s clearly a flavor to tempt any dessert lover. Grega makes her ice cream out of her newly renovated commercial kitchen space in SoNo in batches of just six quarts at a time so that she can ensure each pint comes out exactly the way that she wants. While it’s a more time consuming and costly process, it produces a superior end product—a high-end gourmet ice cream with flavor that is likely never found elsewhere. And speaking of flavor, Grega is always open to suggestions. One of the best parts of being a small batch business is that Lindsay’s Handmade can create practically anything that customers want. Browse Grega’s current offerings and place orders on lindsayshandmade.com.
Q&A : LINDSAY GREGA
Have you always had a passion for making ice cream?
It was always something I did a few times a year, after picking strawberries or peaches. I hadn’t used my ice cream maker in years when I took it out during quarantine and began playing with different flavors.
How has business been since you officially opened in 2020?
When I launched in November 2020, I was not prepared for the overwhelming response. It was thrilling. The community has been extremely supportive and encouraging, which really keeps me going.
How did you choose your location?
It took me a full year to find a location. I really wanted to stay in Norwalk because I live here. There was very little space available that I could afford as a start-up. I literally had one developer say to me, “call me when you’re not a start-up.” Talk about a reality check. In the end I got a great space that I hope to stay in for a long time.
Any other helping hands on your team or is it just you?
I have one “friendployee” as I like to call her. My friend Laura has been on this journey with me since the beginning and I would be lost without her. She is so helpful and an eternal optimist. She reminds me to always focus on the positive, especially when I get frustrated. Once I have the ability, I will definitely be hiring more people.