Page 15 - Valley Table - Summer 2023

sent me the ad and said,
‘Put your money where your mouth is!’” she recalls. Delisle and her husband moved quickly, making an offer within 24 hours.
They updated the kitchen, plumbing, and equipment, installed new windows, repainted the circa-1950s building with black trim, and gave it a fresh rebrand. To
top it off, designers at The Working Assembly came up with a cartoon mascot known as “Gerry the Cherry,” named after Delisle’s father Gerald. The team also developed a new website and revamped the business’ social media presence. They reopened for
“That small ecosystem really spoke to us, and it’s important for us to offer high-quality food that we would feel good about giving to our own children.”
Every day from 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Cherries scoops 14 flavors of hard ice cream, including Colombian coffee toffee; coconut raspberry (which is vegan and gluten- free); salted caramel; hazelnut chocolate (vegan); and the popular lavender honey blueberry—clover honey and blueberry jam ripple in French lavender ice cream. There’s also soft serve chocolate, vanilla, and classic twist,
all sourced from Gillette Creamery in Gardiner. Other options include the make- your-own sundae with a choice of ice cream plus hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch, strawberry, marshmallow, or peanut butter sauce.
Cherries also offers an assortment of upscale comfort foods made from clean ingredients like grass- fed burgers, nitrate-free bacon, hormone-free chicken, organic milk, and locally baked bread from Bread Alone, plus fresh salads and plant-based options. “We’re focused on serving real food versus processed as much as possible,” says Delisle.
If you really want a straightforward assessment of the new Cherries, just ask the kids. “They think it’s amazing,” says O’Toole of his children, Emerson, 5, and Foster, 3. “Our daughter loves to hand out menus and give other
kids tours of the ice cream freezer. Our son just loves that he can get gummy bears at a moment’s notice.”
Cherries Ice Cream
4166 Route 209, Stone Ridge cherriesicecream.com \ 845.377.1153
business last May.
Beyond a facelift, the most
notable change at Cherries
is the menu. Everything is now GMO-free and sourced locally whenever possible. Delisle and O’Toole buy all their frozen treats from Del’s Dairy Farm and Ice Cream Company, a small-batch creamery in Red Hook, because they believe the products are fresher and they support local agriculture. “We actually saw the cows in the field that produce the milk for the ice cream,” says O’Toole.
June—August2023 | valleytable.com 21
Let the Good Times Roll
Last year, Skate Time in Accord was purchased by local popcorn company BjornQorn—and the
rink is finally open for business. “BjornQorn is in a real growth phase, and something about
a popcorn factory and roller rink felt too good to pass up,” says co-owner Stepanie Bauman. In about 18 months, the other half of the building will be popping (literally) with a new production facility. Until then, you can bust out your skates on weekends and even pick up a few bags
of popcorn, too. For more information on hours and rentals, visit skatetimeny. com. —Megan Wilson
PHOTOS (RIGHT) COURTESY OF MAZI