Business Owner Brings Lifelong Dream, Sweet Tooth to Dedham

Local residents and passersby looking appease their cravings for frozen yogurt and baked goods can do so at a new local sweet shop that recently opened in Dedham.

Sweet Tart, which has running its Newton location since September 2011, is now open at 81 Legacy Blvd., between Whole Foods and the 50s Diner in Dedham, and offers 12 flavors of self-serve frozen yogurt, 200 toppings and eight flavors of daily house-made mini cupcakes.

Dedham Patch recently sat down with Sweet Tooth owner Naomi Dorfman to discuss the new shop, which she runs with her husband, David, why it expanded into Dedham and what the couple hope to see in the year ahead.

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Dedham Patch: What did you find appealing about the frozen yogurt business? 

Naomi Dorfman: I have always had a huge sweet tooth, and I've always known that eventually I wanted to open a sweet shop of some sort. When the self-serve frozen yogurt thing came on the scene, I think it's the best thing for the industry since the invention of frozen yogurt itself. There were so many of them in so many other markets, and I just couldn't believe they didn't exist [in Newton and Dedham]. It's kind of a lifelong dream that got more focused.

Dedham Patch: Why did you decide to open in Dedham? 

Naomi Dorfman: We see Dedham as a really nice community with a strong family base, and we saw a need in the market. Frozen Yogurt shops are popping up all over; there's really none in Dedham.

Dedham Patch: What makes your frozen yogurt shop unique? 

Naomi Dorfman: We are very involved and very hands-on. We're always making sure that everything is just the way we want it. Our specialty, as far as we're concerned, is we offer more choices than any other frozen yogurt shop you'll go to, in terms of toppings. And in this store, we've added the bakery. We have been offering a small offering of cupcakes for the past year, a really scaled-down part of the business. We wanted to test it and see how it was received. People seem to be pretty into it, and that's how we knew we wanted to add it [in Dedham].

Dedham Patch: Do you take custom orders? 

Naomi Dorfman: Yes, we have already done some of that and we hope to continue that aspect of the business. 

Dedham Patch: Why did you choose this location next to Whole Foods and Legacy Place? 

Naomi Dorfman: We [initially] looked into opening in Legacy Place itself. Then I saw this building, and it's not in Legacy Place but it's right on top. Once people know we're here, it will be convenient for people to get here. We just see this as a huge destination for not people who just live in Dedham but for people who come from all over the place.

Dedham Patch: What would you like to see in the year ahead? 

Naomi Dorfman: We just want to get a loyal customer base. We've established ourselves so well in Newton, we have people that we see almost every single day, and that's what we're looking for here. We want people to love coming here and see this as a local hangout and kind of a meeting place. We expect that the change of weather will definitely help and bring people out who otherwise would not come.

Dedham Patch: What kinds of specials are you offering right now? 

Naomi Dorfman: We're offering a lot of free samples. If people want to come in and try a cupcake and some frozen yogurt, we want people to come in and see what's going on.

Dedham Patch: What has been your top seller so far? 

Naomi Dorfman: Vanilla always wins out. I can tell you some top flavors, but vanilla never loses. People love strawberries, Oreos. Those are the top two toppings. We have kids who pile sour gummy worms all over their desserts.

To learn more about Sweet Tart, visit www.sweettartfroyo.com.