The Scoop on Chelmsford’s Favorite Ice Cream

As the days of summer slowly begin to fade, a last minute ice cream craving may hit hard. To satisfy the sweet tooth, locals head to their favorite ice cream stand in Chelmsford.  Two hot spots in town for frozen treats are Sully's Ice Cream, 55 Graniteville Road, and Gary's Ice Cream, 131 Gorham St.  

Sully's Ice Cream is a family-owned business purchased by Ricky Sullivan in 1986. He feels that there is no ice cream stand war in this town.

"Gary's got his following and we've got ours," said Sullivan. "We see lots of familiar faces all the time." Located next to Chelmsford High School, Sully's has become a teen hang out spot for friends after school.

Sully's customers are loyal to the ice cream stand.

"Sully's is the best around, hands down," said Carrie Cowgill of Westford. "The quality, the friendliness of the staff, and the coffee Oreo ice cream keep me coming back."

Sullivan learned about the ice cream business from the Gefteas family, owners of the former Skip's Ice Cream Stand. He continues to use what he learned there to create the perfect scoop of ice cream for his customers. Some creative fall specials include Apple Cinnamon ice cream, Pumpkin Ice Cream, which is coming in October, and Eggnog Ice Cream, which will arrive in November.

"This summer has been great — it was busier every month," said Sullivan. "We give a good value and hope that people come back to see us again."

Teens say they enjoy hanging out at the picnic tables enjoying a scoop of ice cream or a sundae.

"Sully's is closer and more convenient," said Virginia Walsh, a senior at Chelmsford High.

"It's the perfect place to come after class and before after school activities," said Olivia Harvey, a junior at Chelmsford High.

Gary's Ice Cream, meanwhile, on Route 3A sees more faces from Lowell and Billerica.

"We are the only fully homemade ice cream stand in the area," said owner Gary Frascarelli. In addition to their homemade ice cream, Gary's offers homemade hot fudge and syrups, and many other homemade base ingredients.

"Everything is pure, natural — we don't offer any low fat or sugar free items because we do not want to put chemicals in our products," said Frascarelli. Gary's also pre-packages their jimmies and nuts for customers to insure that those with nut allergies are protected from potential cross contamination.

Frascarelli, a former broadcast radio personality, opened Gary's Ice Cream Stand in 1973. He started in the ice cream business in high school working at Glenny's Ice Cream in Lowell, now known as Heritage Farm Ice Cream. After opening up his own business, he was one of the first ice cream stands to have a Web site, and is now active on Facebook and Twitter as well, he said.

Gary's customers show just as strong a loyalty to their choice for ice cream in town. "It's a great guilty pleasure," said Allie Reveley of Chelmsford. "They always have new flavors, and the ice cream is delicious, fresh and creamy."

Both Sully's and Gary's most popular flavors of ice cream include vanilla, coffee, and cookie dough.

"Vanilla sounds like a simple flavor, but it's very complex. It has 25 flavor notes and took me many tries to come up with the perfect combinations of extracts," said Frascarelli. Some fall ice cream flavors available at Gary's include Pumpkin, Apple, and Ginger.

Another popular item at Gary's is the Lime Rickey. In the summer, Gary's goes through more than one thousand limes a week.

"We love homemade ice cream," said Heather Kelly of Billerica about Gary's. "The service is great, and it's convenient and close to home."