But Lizzy’s is more than a business: It’s a neighborhood gathering spot that, over the years, has become as much a fixture in the community as the high school or the library. “It’s the kind of business that brings people together,” says Pappas. Last month Waltham City Councillor Robert Logan presented Pappas with a resolution at a city meeting congratulating the couple, who live in Concord, for their years in business, participation in community activities, and for donating Lizzy’s ice cream to local schools and events. “Although other restaurants on Moody Street have come and gone, Lizzy’s has been there all along,” says Logan. “It’s a bright spot for Waltham. And they make good old-fashioned ice cream.”

WALTHAM —Nick Pappas and his wife, Sue Cornwall, opened Lizzy’s Ice Cream on Moody Street 20 years ago and have churned up dense, rich flavors daily ever since.


Like ice cream parlors of yore, Lizzy’s serves its scoops and sundaes in footed glassware with doilies and saucers. Pappas often hires neighborhood teens, and some employees — even entire families — have worked there for years. Pappas started the ice cream business after he left a 27-year career as a software engineer and project manager for Digital Equipment Corp. in Maynard. “In 1995, rounds of people were being laid off and there was no plan for me to stay,” says Pappas. “I always wanted to start my own business, and I really liked ice cream.” He was well acquainted with the food business since his father for many years owned the Minuteman Diner in Charlestown.

“Ice cream has a lot of emotional resonance for me. It was part of an intimate social experience with my father and friends,” says Pappas. “I have lots of great memories of driving out to the country to get ice cream.” The couple named Lizzy’s for their daughter, now in her 30s. In 2006, they opened a Lizzy’s takeout in Harvard Square, and four years later, a shop in Needham.


On a recent morning in the Waltham production kitchen,three commercial ice cream machines rumble, each churning out 2½-gallon batches of a flavor every eight to 10 minutes. Four days a week, ice cream maker Mauricio Reyes turns out up to 1,000 gallons of 50 flavors such as maple-walnut, almond-toffee-nougat, and butter-crunch, along with a small selection of flavors blended with Armagnac and Baileys Irish Cream.

Reyes starts with a 13-percent butterfat mix from Bliss Bros. Dairy in Attleboro, blended specially for Lizzy’s. Velvety strawberry ice cream is pumping out of one machine and Reyes catches it in a tub and then folds in whole berries and their juices. Chocolate ice cream flows seconds later, requiring him to quickly pour in vanilla and a pure chocolate syrup. Timing is essential. “He’s like a line cook in a restaurant,” Pappas explains. “He’s got to keep things moving.”

When the shop opens at noon, a steady trickle of customers begins. The aroma of fresh-ground coffee beans lingers while a server pours espresso for a customer. The shop also offers pastries, chocolates, and light lunch fare such as salads and soups.

Moms with strollers sit for a while with their scoops at wooden tables. “Next year you’ll be eating ice cream here,” a mom coos to her infant. The space is long and narrow, with a larger back room whose blue walls are painted with ethereal murals.


Later in the afternoon, several groups of teens park themselves in the room, chatting and pulling out homework. “We wanted the room to be relaxing, welcoming, and comforting,” says Pappas.

Councillor Logan says the shop has a personal appeal. “They make the best coffee frappe,” he says.

No proclamation necessary.

Lizzy’s Ice Cream

367 Moody St., Waltham, 781-893-6677; 29 Church St., Cambridge,

617-354-2911; 1498 Highland Ave., Needham, 781-455-1498, www.lizzysicecream.com

Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at atrieger@comcast.net.