Stop by Iced in Shelbyville for Lunch and Sweets

You can trace Jodi Allen’s comfort in the kitchen back to her grandfather, Max Williams. “When I was growing up,” she recalls, “Grandpa would call with a recipe and offer to buy the ingredients if I would make it for him – and they were always sweets.”

Today, Allen satisfies Shelbyville’s sweet tooth as the proud owner of Iced. A Main Street mainstay since 2012, the bakery and café features original brick walls, tin ceiling, hardwood floors – and all things indulgent.

Cozy and charming, Iced offers dine-in and carryout service, as well as special orders for life’s special occasions. Unique soups, salads and sandwiches star on the lunch menu, along with a weekly special, such as homemade chicken and noodles.

“We try to do things no one else does,” Allen says.

And no one does desserts like Iced.

“We always try to have different flavors and different types of desserts,” says Allen, in an understatement as large as her cookies.

In fact, her recipe repertoire includes more than 45 varieties of cupcakes, 20 kinds of cheesecake and every imaginable pie, cookie and cake (plus some you couldn’t imagine).

“We always have cupcakes and cookies, and at least two other types of desserts, like pie, parfait cups or puff pastries,” says Allen, who shares baking duties with daughter, Kearah. “Everything is made from scratch. You won’t see any caramel coming out of a can.”

While customers clamor for the giant Ding Dongs, Allen says, “You’d be surprised how many people come in and get a white cupcake.”

This summer, however, a drool-inducing tradition may sway vanilla loyalists.

“Once a month this summer, the case will be filled with edible cookie-dough desserts – cheesecake, brownies, waffle cones and more,” says Allen, who hopes to eventually open a second location.

The gifted baker enjoys coming up with creative combinations – butterscotch pretzel cookies, hot chocolate cheesecake and French toast and bacon cupcakes, to name a few.

For Allen, though, people remain the sweetest thing about her business.

“I have absolutely amazing customers, and I’ve become really close to a lot of them,” she says. “Some customers bring recipes in for me to try – just like Grandpa.”