USA TODAY's Readers' Choice awards names Boynton Beach ice creamery among nation's best
The wait is over and the results are in, The USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Award for the Best Ice Cream Shop has named The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery in Boynton Beach the sixth best ice cream shop in the entire nation. It was also the only Florida ice creamery to make the list.
Opened in 2015 and located on North Federal Highway, the shop is owned by Joseph Hurtuk III and his wife Michelle, their daughter Amanda Hurtuk and Joseph's parents, Joseph II and Barbara Hurtuk.
The shop is most definitely a family affair and the Hurtuks take particular pride in their ice cream and Italian ice.
All of The Boardwalk's ice cream is made inhouse with three standard flavors and an impressive 21 rotating flavors.
Those standards are, well, tried-and-true standards: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The rotating flavors, however, are where things start to get interesting and where Joseph III unleashes his culinary creativity.
"We have a lot of unique flavors and he's (Joseph III) always experimenting with new ones," Amanda Hurtuk said.
Hurtuk said that some of the more recent creations have included "vanilla black raspberry flake, brownie brittle, mint flake, Kahlua almond fudge and Fruity Pebbles."
Those 24 flavors are served in cups, sugar cones, cake cones, waffle cones and waffle cups.
If you find one you like or hear of one you might like to try, don't wait. The ice cream at The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery is only made in small, three-gallon batches. This ensures freshness and gives Joseph III the chance to create new masterpieces.
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Their Italian ice is water-based and comes in eight flavors. Hurtuk said that after making a batch, it's frozen and when served they scrape it to give it "that shave ice effect." Served in cups, Hurtuk said "cherry and lemon are the two most popular by far." She also says the "orange cream is really good."
In addition to ice cream and Italian ice, customers can order a soft serve custard, cannoli, milkshakes and banana splits.
The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery was the only shop in Florida to make the top 10.
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USA TODAY's 10Best Ice Cream Shops:
The complete top ten, from one to 10: An's Dry Cleaning in San Diego, California; Coneflower Creamery in Omaha, Nebraska; Owowcow Creamery locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Leopold's Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia; Peewee's Ice Cream in Medford, New Jersey; The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery in Boynton Beach; Island Creamery locations in Maryland and Virginia; Andia's Ice Cream location Cary and Raleigh, North Carolina; Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream in Charleston, West Virginia; and Penn State Berkey Creamery in University Park, Pennsylvania.
The Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery in Boynton Beach among nation's top 10
Where: 209 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach
Hours: 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Information: 561-600-9593; instagram.com/the.boardwalk.ice
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach spot makes USA TODAY's 10Best Ice Cream Shops
