A Dream Come True and a Treat for 78209
The Artistry Behind Bee Nice Ice Cream
By Bruce X Forey | Photography by David Teran
How many kids dream of owning an ice cream shop and then grow up to do it? Probably plenty of dreamers and not many doers. Put Debra Hazle, owner of Bee Nice Ice Cream, in the doer column. And she accomplished her goal at a mature stage in life. But Debra didn’t want to own just any ice cream shop. She wanted an operation where she could finally churn all these fantastic ice cream creations floating in her head.
“I’ve been making ice cream since I was a little girl. It was always something we did as a family, and it just stuck with me,” Debra said.
Debra looked for the right place to put her vision into action. She settled on a storefront at the intersection of 8003 Broadway and Sunset. The high-traffic location helps generate customers, but it was the tree outside the store that helped convince her it was the right place. Bee Nice Ice Cream opened for business in September 2022. It’s been growing customers and a following ever since.
“My ice creams are made on the premises, in-house, and in small batches only. I’m not mass-produced like the other corporate ice cream stores,” Debra said proudly. “I consider myself an artist and ice cream maker and follow my whims and the whims of my consumers and not the whims of a corporate board.”
Debra’s whims range from more traditional to exotic concoctions inspired from the far reaches of our world, like Thai Tea, Ube, purple in color, and from the Philippines or the Persian Dream, which features expensive saffron with a touch of rose water for a hint of fragrance.
“It’s a good flavor and not real heavy,” said Debra. “It kind of cleanses the palate, like a lemon ice cream would do.”
Bee Nice Ice Cream carries 24 varieties and two to five nondairy flavors. Some customer favorites include the signature Honeycomb, Rum Raisin, Banana Nut, and Nutella. Cookie Monster Mash and Birthday Cake are favorites with the kids.
“My main focus is creating flavors you can’t get mass-produced elsewhere.”
Aside from the unique offerings, Debra feels her main differentiator from corporate ice cream is the natural ingredients for almost all creations.
“I try to get fresh as much as possible. Whether it’s strawberries, bananas, real rum, or actual Ferrero Rocher candy for my Nutella ice cream, I try to get the real thing, not a flavoring,” Debra added.
With Debra’s more labor-intensive in-house process, coupled with more costly, fresh ingredients, she often must balance between ice cream artist and entrepreneur.
“Blood, sweat, and tears, yes, it’s all involved. You do your best,” she reflected. “You must make decisions. How much do I want to spend on this ice cream? Do I want to charge the same for vanilla as I do my more involved flavors?”
Good news for customers. Debra figured it out, and all scoops cost the same.
The 78209 community continues to make a positive impression with Debra. Four of her five employees are Alamo Heights High School students. She’s very impressed with how responsible they are.
“Emily, Everett, Olivia, and Sophia are all pals. If one can’t work that day, they’ll reach out to find out if someone else can fill in. Taking that on themselves really makes my life easier.”
In the future, Debra would like to add another dipping cabinet and offer ice cream cakes. Until then, she’s focused on building on her following one outstanding scoop of ice cream at a time.
“This is a passion of mine, and right now I’m just having fun with it,” Debra reflected. “I’m hoping everybody enjoys the flavors. What can I say? I love ice cream.”
