Gracie’s Ice Cream to Open in Union Square

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Ben Dryer, owner of Sherman Café in Somerville, and Aaron Cohen, the founder of Eat Boston, will be opening a new ice cream shop in Union Square later this summer. Located at 22 Union Square, between Indian Palace restaurant and Somerville Cleaners, the 500-square-foot space will showcase both savory and sweet ice cream flavors, such as your standard chocolate and strawberry, as well as more unique ingredients like sweet potato and “vegetables.”

“We’ve been discussing this for a couple of years now, but Ben and I started to really get serious about it last fall,” Cohen says. “It’ll be located in the old Sherman Market space, a market that Ben had opened a couple of years ago. We’ve got a lot of competition in the area, so we’re hoping to make a high quality product with really good ingredients. The closest ice cream shops are Toscanini’s and Christina’s, so we’re well aware of the threshold we’re trying to meet. I don’t want to set the expectations too high, but we know who our competitors are.”

Both owners have prior experience in the ice-cream making trade, Dryer as a longtime employee of Toscanini’s and Cohen at various ice cream shops around New England. Cohen says he’s always been a big proponent of the frozen dessert, launching Somerville’s first Ice Cream Showdown as a part of Eat Boston, his culinary event production company.

In addition to its variety of ice creams, Gracie’s will also sell frappes and smoothies. Cohen is projecting opening in late August or early September. Despite the limitations of the space, there will be a handful of seats inside and potentially, some outdoor tables.

22 Union Square, Somerville; facebook.com/graciesicecream.