PEABODY — Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe is coming to Peabody just in time for summer.
The award-winning, Gloucester-based ice cream shop has plans to open its second location at 86 Andover Street on Route 114 in late May, Peabody Ward 4 Councilor Ed Charest confirmed this week.
“The owner is very excited about coming to Peabody, and we’re excited to have him,” Charest said of owner Mike Schifino. “His reputation up in Gloucester is very good. Some of the younger people who really search out ice cream establishments absolutely love it. The quality of his ice cream is top-notch.”
Known for its wide variety of unusual flavors, including Cereal Milk, Cinnamon Churro Dough, and Toasted S’mores, the creamery has also participated in several charitable endeavors, most recently donating $7,000 — 100 percent of the shops proceeds for one weekend — to the Barstool Fund, an effort run by Barstool president Dave Portnoy to raise money for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This new location will not only help us extend our reach to our customers of the North Shore, but the new facility and equipment will also allow us to make our ice cream even better for both of our locations,” Schifino said in a post on the company’s Facebook page.
Holy Cow Ice Cream won’t be the area’s first ice cream shop. The store’s new location was previously occupied by the popular Chandler’s Ice Cream for nearly 70 years before the latter closed in 2003 following a fire. It reopened again in 2009 before closing for good in 2013.
One challenge the creamery now faces, however, is the high volume of traffic surrounding its new location, as well as several neighboring residents who are vocal about enforcing the property’s restrictions.
“It is limited to what he can do there, because right behind his parking lot are the backyards of residents who are very adamant about not letting any other establishments besides ice cream, which was grandfathered in, being allowed in,” Charest said. “It’s not zoned for it. The neighbors there were very much on top of that.”
Charest said he still hopes the creamery will become a celebrated part of the community, adding that he has suggested a meeting between residents of the neighborhood and Schifino to provide residents with a platform to air any concerns they may have about the shop’s arrival.
“I think it’ll be a great addition to Peabody. This young gentleman seems to have the right recipes,” he said.
