North Shore Ice Cream Shop Brings National Awards Home To Massachusetts

PEABODY, MA — A North Shore Ice Cream destination has once again achieved high honors on the national stage after Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe was named a Grand Master Ice Cream Maker and won the Northeast Region's "Flavor of the Year" for its Pistachio Baklava at the annual North American Ice Cream Association's ConeCon convention.

Holy Cow is a super premium ice cream maker with three North Shore locations in Gloucester, Peabody and Salem, as well as a Cape Cod location at Dennis Port.

The Flavor of the Year award for Pistachio Baklava marked the company's third straight year winning the award.

The flavor features a homemade honey-infused pistachio butter base, with roasted pistachio toffee and bits of crispy phyllo dough.

"We knew we had something special as soon as we added it to our menu," said Mike Schifino, Founder & Creative Director of Holy Cow. "To win these awards at the largest ice cream competition in North America is truly an honor."

Holy Cow's Ecuadorian Cocoa also won a Blue Ribbon and was named a Grand Master Ice Cream Maker for its "sustained excellence," as well as accolades for its core chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors.

"To win the Grand Master Award is an enormous privilege and I'm thrilled to join such a
prestigious group of creators from across North America," Schifino said. "Three consecutive
years of winning the Northeast Region's 'Flavor of the Year' award, on top of becoming a Grand
Master, validates all the hard work of our team.

"I'm so proud of our entire crew and grateful for all our loyal supporters. Thank you so much to everyone who's made Holy Cow a part of their life. We're excited to continue sharing our passion for unique and delicious ice cream with you all for years to come."

Holy Cow's list of accolades since 2019:

• ● 2024 - “Grand Master Ice Cream Maker”
• ● 2024 - “Northeast Region Flavor of the Year” (Pistachio Baklava)
• ● 2023 - “Northeast Region Flavor of the Year” (Jackpot)
• ● 2022 - “Flavor of the Year” (Ritzy AF)
• ● 2022 - “Flavor of the Year” - 3rd Place (Eazy Peazy)
• ● 2021 - “Non-Dairy Flavor of the Year” - 2nd Place (Vegan Lemon Cookie)
• ● 2019 - “Best New Flavor” - Honorable Mention (The Charleston)

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)