Hillsborough Man's Sweet Dream To Open Ice Cream Shop Continues To Flourish 1 Year Later

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — When Hillsborough resident Ryan Eschenroeder was laid off at the beginning of COVID, he figured it was "now or never" to follow his dream and open The Ice House. Now his ice cream parlor is flourishing one year later.

"I have always wanted to own my own ice cream parlor," Eschenroeder told Patch. "I figured it was 'now or never' and decided this was my chance to finally do something. With the help of great friends we were able to get the store open."

Eschenroeder chose to open The Ice House at 378 S Branch Rd. in Hillsborough on March 6, 2021 "to bring delicious ice cream to the town."

"I also wanted to have a place where kids and families can walk to and ride their bikes to on a nice day. It is a small store but we have a few outdoor tables. I like the fact that we can create a place where friends in town can meet up or run into each other and share an ice cream," said Eschenroeder.

While The Ice House is Eschenroeder's first business, he is not new to the ice cream industry. For 28 years he has been working with ice cream but always working for someone else.

"I always loved the fact that no matter how old you are, ice cream always makes everyone feel like a kid again, even if just for a small time," said Eschenroeder.

When designing his menu and design of the ice cream parlor interior, Eschenroeder put his own spin on it.

"I am not really into gimmicky things, or that old-school look. I wanted to create a different atmosphere, not the type of place that comes to mind when you think of an ice cream parlor," said Eschenroeder. "We have a diverse menu where you can order traditional items, but there is also the ability to customize and create your own concoctions."

The Ice House offers a Fusion machine where customers can take any one of the hard ice creams and mix in toppings to make their own personalized soft serve.

All ice cream cake orders are placed online to allow customers the ability to design their own cake. Additionally, The Ice House has 35 hard ice cream flavors, vegan ice cream, soft-serve ice cream ( vanilla, chocolate, or twist) vanilla and chocolate frozen yogurt, sundaes, shakes and soda shakes, and cakes.

There is also a "grab-and-go" freezer, including hand-packed quarts, ice cream cookie sandwiches, ice cream cupcakes, and dog biscuits.

Eschenroeder said his favorite flavor is Road Runner Raspberry. It's a white chocolate-based ice cream with a raspberry swirl and chocolate-filled cups of raspberry.

"I am so grateful that our town and the surrounding towns have embraced and supported us so much in our first year. It is very exciting that we are now seeing customers coming from Somerville, Flemington, Montgomery, Branchburg, and other areas," said Eschenroeder. "We look forward to serving everyone for years to come."

For more information call 908-262-2048 or visit theicehousenj.com or facebook.com/theicehousenj or instagram.com/theicehousenj.

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