In a charming space in Congress Park, Sweet Cooie's now serves its ice-creams in homemade waffle cones or as part of sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, éclairs stuffed with ice cream, and the Gooey Cooie, a glazed brioche-ice cream sandwich. There are also Scottish caramels and truffles as well as hand-squeezed-juice sorbets.
Owner Paul Tamburello, a community-minded developer known to ice cream lovers from his LoHi venture Little Man Ice Cream, dedicated this spot reminiscent of early 20th century soda fountains, to his mother, whose nickname was "Cooie." It is only fitting to honor her memory this way as "Little Man" was his father's nickname.
"I hope to honor my late mother's elegance and love of family with a classically inspired ice cream shop and confectionary, located in the neighborhood in which she raised me," Tamburello explained.
Part of that elegance comes through in the feminine design of the space, envisioned by Xan Creative's Melissa Friday. It was important for Tamburello to bring in a woman's sensibility just as it is to show support of women in other ways. "We celebrate the essence of who you are as a woman and we do everything we can to support that," the owner said last night when explaining the charitable goal of the company. Through the Scoop for Scoop program, a percentage of sales from every scoop of ice cream sold will support women's empowerment organizations locally and globally.
Need extra reasons to visit? While you'll find many Little Man flavors here, some ice creams such as Holy Cannoli, a delicate Mascarpone masterpiece, and Mint Julep Caramel will not make it to LoHi.
Sweet Cooie's will offer seasonal outdoor patio seating. The 1,000 sq. ft. space is available for private events and can seat 35 guests inside, 50 for an indoor reception and an additional 30 on the outside patio. Off-site catering is also available.
Sweet Cooie's, located at 3506 East 12th Avenue (12th & Madison) will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.