A new take on a Vermont classic: Can vegan creemees be an option? Aisha Bassett puts a twist on tradition
Aisha Bassett, owner of Offbeat Creemee. Photo courtesy of Aisha Bassett.
Lively music played as customers lined up and down the sidewalk moving toward colorful signs, flowers, and a mirror ball hanging above the window. But on an autumn afternoon, it was worth the wait. Sweet, creamy, and rich in flavor, Offbeat Creemeee ice cream is dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, gluten-friendly and made without refined sugar. Riffing off an Obama campaign slogan, one of its taglines is “Yes, we cone.”
Aisha Bassett, 29, is the owner and founder of Offbeat Creemee. Originally from Bethel, New York, Bassett has an associate degree in culinary arts from SUNY Cobleskill with a concentration in pastry and a bachelor of business administration in restaurant management.
Bassett and her husband moved to Vermont in 2017 from the Albany area to slow down and be closer to nature and the lake. She initially worked in a bakery as a manager, and when she noticed the lack of vegan ice cream, she decided to make her own. “I just went all in, and I knew I could do it.” Bassett opened Offbeat Creemee in July 2021.
Offbeat Creemee, located at the Myer’s Community Pool in Winooski, is open during the regular season on Saturday from 1-8 p.m. and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. In the winter months, Offbeat Creemee has pop-up hours only. Keep an eye on their website for those Offbeat days.
Why did you decide to make vegan ice cream?
When the pandemic happened, I started doing dairy ice cream at first, and I realized everybody was doing their own ice cream because it was a way to boost their sales during the pandemic. So, I tried to figure out a different way to do ice cream, and there are no vegan options. I was working for King Arthur at home at the time, taking phone calls and helping people bake from home, and I had time to experiment with plant-based ice cream. It only took three to four months to get the recipe we have now.
There was nothing in the area and in the bakery I was working in previously, there were a lot of people with dietary restrictions. Creemee culture is huge in Vermont and there is no place for the community of people who are lactose intolerant or allergic or have other allergies to go after a summer day in Vermont.
You have some creative flavors such as “stroopwafle” and “golden milk.” How do you come up with them?
I do a lot of market research and trend research. There are a lot of nostalgic flavors like cookies and cream, but people also want to have pumpkin for a seasonal flavor, or anything that Vermonters haven’t tried like Ube. It’s all in market research. I think every season I spend probably eight to 10 hours on market research seeing what’s trending, not just ice cream but other desserts.
What is Ube?
It is a Filipino sweet potato and it’s very, very popular in South Asia. It is used like we use vanilla.
What is your most popular flavor?
Last year was lemon meringue, it still is pretty popular. Right now, it’s brownie batter, and we always get requests for Ube.
Can you talk about your experience being a Black woman and owning a business in Vermont?
Black people always find each other no matter where we are, especially in Vermont being such a small state and being a very white state. So, it is very important for us to know each other and know where we’re at and what we are doing and making sure that we are all okay. That experience has been amazing.
I have met some amazing BIPOC folk through different networks and meetings and groups. I’ve always been the only black person in the kitchen, so to have my own space has been such a relief and very rewarding for me to be creative and feel safe in the kitchen.
Why did you pick Winooski, to start Offbeat Creemee?
I live here, I love Winooski.
Do you think this is important for the Winooski community?
I think any place where people gather is important. Especially being in the park, it is a huge gathering place for all kinds of people.
You donate some of your tips to Cone It Forward, can you talk about that?
We pool our tips a certain day of the week and we donate around 20 to 30 cones during the summer to children.
Where do you hope your business will go in the future?
The demand is so high right now, I really hope to see us do a wholesale to make ourselves more available to all Vermonters who have dietary issues and lactose issues.
Izzy Quam, a sophomore at Saint Michael’s College, is from Stillwater, Minnesota. She is studying media studies, journalism, and digital arts, and is on the Nordic ski team.