GROVELAND — A local ice cream shop is combining an old-school vibe with new-wave concoctions that have people flocking to its stand this summer.
North of Boston Media Group readers have named Jeff and Maria’s Ice Cream and Hot Dogs, 918 Salem St., as the best place to get ice cream.
A readers contest first narrowed down a crowded field to the top 10 places for ice cream combined in the Merrimack Valley, Greater Newburyport, North Shore and Cape Ann. The final round crowned Jeff and Maria’s Ice Cream and Hot Dogs shop as the winner.
Jeff and Maria’s has made a name for itself by taking Richardson’s Ice Cream and making creations uniquely its own.
The Peanut Butter Wizard, a peanut butter lover’s dream, is ordered up to 250 times a day. Owner Jeff Boragine takes pride in creating new and fun menu items to entice those looking for something different while using classic flavors.
“It’s what we do with the ice cream that separates us apart from other places,” Boragine said.
Jeff and Maria’s opened in 2014 and was named after the owner’s namesake, Jeff Boragine and his wife-to-be, Maria (Janson) Boragine.
Sadly, Maria died in 2018 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage at age 30.
But her name lives on as does her spirit.
“This is always hers and there’s a touch of her here all over the place,” he said. “Every night, I thank her for guiding us.”
Georgetown start
Boragine and his family have always been involved with restaurants as his grandfather owned a few Italian eateries. He remembered he wanted to follow in that footpath when he was younger. He and his mother were figuring out what they wanted to do when a turn-key ice cream shop became available in Georgetown in 2006.
The rest is history.
“We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but the one thing I like doing is being creative and coming up with crazy ideas,” Boragine said.
He and his family operated the Georgetown stand for eight years and were looking for a new location.
They moved to the next town over and built out the property which Jeff and Maria’s occupies. The stand was gutted and the inside was designed to look like an old-fashion diner and soda fountain shop with an open kitchen of sorts.
That is, the open kitchen allows customers to sit at the counter and watch the workers scoop ice cream all day. In the back, hot dogs and their buns are griddled to perfection to accompany the sweet eats.
The atmosphere lets Boragine and his team get to know customers, who become regulars and friends, as they all interact while the ice cream is scooped.
“We love talking to people as we work and having conversations,” Boragine said. “There’s nothing to hide here as everybody watches what we do all day.”
A viral sensation
Over the years, Jeff and Maria’s Peanut Butter Wizard became a viral sensation to the point Boragine had the name trademarked. The top seller is loaded with an ice cream of the customer’s choice, Reese’s peanut butter sauce, chocolate syrup, Reese’s candy, crushed Heath bars, whipped cream and topped with a sugar cone. The stand also goes through 50 to 70 tubs of vanilla ice cream regularly because of it. The treat is so popular, but daunting to finish, that a mini version was added that kids can now enjoy on their own.
The item was a staple creation since Boragine got involved with the first stand, but was always on a secret menu. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the hype around their “baby.”
“Everybody was on social media during COVID and home on their computers,” he said. “Then everybody started doing TikToks with it, Instagram posts with it, and it just started blowing up. It’s been a life-changing experience with this one creation.”
While the peanut butter creation is no longer on the secret menu, other ice cream sundaes and shakes remain open secrets. On the walls, the shop has little signs hidden everywhere, teasing the secret menu. But ask for it and customers shall receive the secret menu for a chance at things like the “brownie bash” and “Dunkaroos” shake.
While Jeff and Maria’s may have a secret menu which adds to the fun atmosphere, there’s no secret with the quality ice cream used.
Boragine said there’s a reason Richardson’s Ice Cream is the base for its inventions.
“I’ve been using them for almost 20 years and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Boragine said. “They’re one of the best and it starts with their own cows. The ice cream here is homemade, we just don’t make it, but we do a lot of crazy things with Richardson’s Ice Cream.”
Heart and soul
Whether people come for the ice cream or one of the famous butter grilled hot dogs, Boragine’s late wife, Maria, remains the heart and soul of the shop.
“We do it all for Maria” Boragine said.
Her sister Emma Janson and mother and father, Mary and Paul Janson, continue to help run the shop alongside Boragine.
Her presence is felt throughout the shop every day by Boragine and the staff who are family or have become family.
The shop added the flavor of cotton candy to its lineup because it was her favorite. A bench is also planned in her memory. The shop additionally gives away free cotton candy on her birthday.