Lexie's puts a new spin on summer treats

For those that love ice cream but maybe don’t like the high caloric intake that comes with it, there is a new alternative in Rehoboth Beach that provides the goodness of ice cream with the healthy benefits of milk and fruit.

Lexie’s Frozen Yogurt is the brainchild of Todd Levitt, who owns several Five Guys chains in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. On a trip to Portland, Ore., Levitt saw firsthand the making of frozen yogurt and people’s response to it.

“You could see, the ability to eat something that tastes as good as ice cream but knowing that it’s actually good for you versus not. It was kind of like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the future. This is the ice cream shop of our generation,’” Levitt said.

He opened his first Lexie’s Frozen Yogurt in March in Eldersburg, Md., where he also has a Five Guys, and followed with the Rehoboth location around Memorial Day weekend.

Much like ice cream, frozen yogurt starts as a milk-based product. After the milk is pasteurized, the yogurt cultures – basically things that are good for you and are added to all yogurts – are added in, Levitt said. Once the cultures are added, then flavors, such as vanilla and cookies and cream, are also put in the mix before the yogurt is frozen.

“It’s the ability to have what you feel is a good ice cream, dessert-type product that is actually very good for you,” Levitt said.

The frozen yogurt at Lexie’s is self-serve, in either a bowl or waffle cone, allowing customers to control their portions. All sorts of toppings can be added, from peaches or blueberries to chocolate rocks and Reese’s Pieces. Levitt said there are about 60 toppings.

“It’s similar to a salad bar in that way. At first your kind of afraid to pull the lever but once you do, you’re like ‘Oh my gosh, this is cool.’ Just that control factor of doing it yourself. Then you can make it as decadent or as fun as you want,” Levitt said.

For its first season, Lexie’s is only offering three or four different machines and flavors, but Levitt said next year he was hoping to have four to eight machines. Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, peach mango tart, cake batter, pomegranate, strawberry and apple pie and rotate every week.

Levitt said as time goes on, Lexie’s will be adding healthy bakery-type items, T-shirts and expanding the fruit bar. Waffle cones cost $4.75, while bowls are priced according to how much the customer puts in. For those still unsure, Lexie’s will often offer free samples, although there is no set time for when free samples are out.

The store is named after Levitt’s six-year-old daughter Lexie.

“I have three kids, she was my youngest. Doesn’t make my other two kids happy,” Levitt joked. “My kids are very active and loved this as I brought it to them.”

So far, all is well at Lexie’s, as customers fresh off the beach are popping in to sample the frozen yogurt.

“I’m shocked and surprised and very excited at the reception and the success we’ve had so far,” Levitt said.

Lexie's Frozen Yogurt is located at 27 Rehoboth Ave. and is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. during weekdays and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends.