Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe
Crafted with Care, Rooted in Tradition
About our Ice Cream
A tradition of freshly-made-on-the premises ice cream
In 1988 Ridgefielders began flocking to Mr. Shane's Homemade Parlor Ice Cream. It was tucked in the basement of a historic 1880 building, but the New York Times said his rich ice cream was "worth the hunt." By 2006 Mr. Shane had grown tired of the day-to-day of running a retail business. So, that year, he closed his store and began making his amazing ice cream for us. When he retired in 2011, he taught us how to make our own ice cream. And it turned out the secret to great ice cream is the same secret for making great chocolates: use the best ingredients you can! Since then, we've continued to innovate, creating fun new flavors, always looking for ways to delight our customers. Our freshly-made-on-the premises ice cream uses fresh dairy from Upstate Farms, a co-operative of family farms in upstate New York that pledge to treate their animals humanely and never use rBST growth hormones.
About Us
A sweet change ...
We’re often asked how two lawyers came to open a homemade chocolate and ice cream shop. Our story begins as young, idealistic law students at Yale, where we met and hoped to go on to make the world a better place. But after six years in the New York corporate world we knew we needed a change. Deborah, inspired by childhood memories of her mother making chocolates in the kitchen, suggested a homemade chocolate shop in Mike’s hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Mike thought she was crazy. Until she took him to a small, homemade chocolate shop in Manhattan. The store was filled with the delicious aroma of chocolate and there were cases full of freshly made chocolates. Wide-eyed children came in with their families, excited to try those wonderful looking confections. This was a place that made people happy. Mike was convinced and so we put the same effort we’d put into learning the law into learning everything we could about chocolate and candy making, determined to make chocolates we would be proud of. Deborah Ann's opened in September 1998 and a few years later we started making our own premium ice cream. To this day, we’re still learning and experimenting, always with the goal of making the best chocolates and ice cream anywhere. When we met in law school, we wanted to make the world a better place. We still do. Only now, we try to do it everyday by bringing a little fun, joy, and deliciousness to our customers! - Deborah Ann Backes & Mike Grissmer
Come Visit Us!
Visit us on Ridgefield's historic Main Street.
Shipping Info
You can purchase your items online and pick them up at our street store or ship them directly to your doorstep. We use the best carriers in the business to make sure your orders get to you on time. At the Secure Checkout page, you‘ll see the ordered item’s description, its price, and delivery time. Where available, you can also choose a faster delivery method for each item on your order for an additional fee. Delivery times vary depending on your selected delivery address, availability of your items, and the time of the day you place your order.