As smoke billows from Faith Holmes' kiosk at D.C.'s Walter E. Washington Convention Center, curious people gather -- some with iPhones aimed.
With the mixer's whir, colorful overhead spotlighting and white tendrils of liquid nitrogen vapor flowing, predominantly custard-based ice cream concoctions are made-to-order at Sweet Freeze. The decadently smooth ice cream can come gluten-free or without refined sugars.
Holmes, 39, is the proprietor of four Sweet Freeze convention center locations and a caterer. She spent two years business planning, creating recipes and saving $15,000 for her startup while working as catering sales manager for the convention center's Centerplate/NBSE.
She pitched Sweet Freeze to her general manager and within weeks of giving her resignation, penned a deal with her former employer to launch at the convention center on a commission-structured basis. The strategy helped cut her overhead substantially.
Sweet Freeze opened this past January and was operating with 18 percent profits by its first quarter. Holmes is currently scouting options for a D.C. storefront.
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