WESTBOROUGH — Despite lingering snow on the ground, it was all smiles at Uhlman’s Ice Cream stand along East Main Street last week, as its 58th season began.
The family-owned ice cream stand has been serving up the same signature recipe created two decades before the first nails were hammered into the roadside building. That recipe came from the mind and taste buds of a man by the name of George Smith, who in 1940 launched Smithfield Ice Cream.
The ice cream shop quickly grew into a dozen locations across Worcester and the surrounding area. Smith employed his son, Richard Smith, at age 10, who quickly learned how much joy the sweet treat brings while scooping behind the counter.
Smith got his milk from local farmer and family friend Howard Uhlman, and in 1967 the pair built a small farm stand by hand and began selling Smithfield’s recipes along East Main Street.
Twenty years later, Richard would once again follow in his father’s footsteps and take over as manager of Uhlman’s Ice Cream. The Smith family continue to hold the reins, with Kelley Marston, Richard’s daughter, at the helm.
This year, they started scooping at the end of February, earlier than in years past.
“We always aim for the first weekend of March, and this year it just so happened March 1st was on a Saturday so we thought why not open Friday,” Marston said.
“Opening weekend is the best, it’s like when you come home from college on break and see all your friends,” she said with a chuckle, adding there are customers that come for a scoop every single day.
The former Worcester Public Schools teacher has been working with Uhlman’s for the last quarter-century and has prioritized the concept of ice cream for all.
Marston said she grew up around people who had severe allergies and understands the sensitivity and importance of making sure food is safe to eat. The menu offers an entire vegan section of treats, including the iconic Disney treat the Dole Whip.
“We went to Disney and had trouble finding anything my son could eat,” she said, adding he suffers from eosinophilic esophagitis, an inflammatory condition of the esophagus that can be triggered by things like common food allergies such as peanuts, gluten and dairy.
“When we found the Dole Whip and he could have it, he was the happiest kid,” she said, eyes welling up with tears. “We spent the rest of the day tracking down food supervisors so we could figure out how to make our own.”
Breen Nichols, 15, of Hopkinton makes a cherry vanilla cone while working at Uhlman’s.
Taking a look at what’s behind the counter, Uhlman’s offers some 70 flavors, including classics like vanilla, chocolate and coffee, alongside candy creations like the Heath Bar and Milky Way, and unique concoctions like frozen pudding and Graham Central Station.
“Frozen pudding is the OG flavor,” she said with a laugh. “When the Pilgrims first came over on the Mayflower they had this pudding, which ended up being combined with dishes from the native people living here. The final product was known as Indian pudding, which we call frozen pudding.
“It’s one of those flavors, you know,” she said. “If you own a bar you have to serve an old-fashioned to be a legitimate bar. It’s the same with frozen pudding, it’s got to be on the menu if you want to be seen as a legit ice cream shop here.”
At Uhlman’s, Maci Marando, who turns 3 on April 13, watches as her father, Michael, gets his cup of black raspberry Oreo ice cream. She got cotton candy and her mother, Cassie Shannon, got coffee Oreo.
It isn’t just the Smith and Uhlman families who love ice cream. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the average American eats about 20 pounds of ice cream every year, roughly 4 gallons.
As for New Englanders, that number is slightly higher, leading many to ask, What makes ice cream and Massachusetts so intertwined?
At Uhlman’s Marston said she sometimes feels more like a community center than an ice cream stand.
“People come together here,” she said. “This community has been good to us over the last 60 or so years, it only makes sense for us to be good to them too.”
Recently, Uhlman’s added a falooda flavor after someone suggested it.
“It’s an Indian dish with pistachio ice cream, rose syrup and basil seeds. It’s absolutely delicious,” she said. “If someone comes to us and says, ‘You should make this dish from my culture,’ I’m interested!”
As for the season so far, Marston said it’s been great.
“Opening weekend was a little cold but we offered a hot chocolate float special and oh my gosh it was so good.”
Driving out of the parking lot on a cold Thursday morning, a line of cars with blinkers flashing headed in for a midday treat.
T&G engagement editor Sarah Barnacle is getting to know Central Mass. by exploring some of the best places to go and things to do in Worcester County. If you have an idea or suggestion, please email sbarnacle@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester County Wonders: Uhlman’s scoops signature recipe 58 years on