Blair Garrett

“We wanted to give the people around here something to talk about.”

Emmitsburg’s newest ice cream store, Ripleigh’s Eat It or Not Creamery, has been the talk of the town since its July grand opening.

“We didn’t know Emmitsburg needed an ice cream shop, but from what everyone has been telling us, they really did,” said Laura Maring, co-owner.

Amidst the sweltering heat, Ripleigh’s offers Marylanders a sweet retreat to cool off through the hotter months while shocking your taste buds in the best way.

The store’s variety of unique and outrageous flavors have people itching to try out Ripleigh’s ice cream. Maring’s 14-year-old daughter, Ripleigh, has been the mastermind behind the myriad of unusual pairings, spending much of her free time behind the scenes, creating the ice cream and italian ice offered to hungry guests six days a week.

The team has put together a menu, featuring common favorites like chocolate and vanilla, some more outside the box flavors like Oreo cheesecake and gumball blitz, and then some I-can’t-believe-this-is-so-good flavors like mango sriracha and spicy pineapple avocado.

The wide variety gives ice cream fanatics the opportunity to break out of their comfort zone to try something sure to change the way they view ice cream, or play it safe with the always delicious mint chocolate chip.

Flavors like everything bagel and old bay kettle corn are enough to pique your interest, and the surprisingly well-blended flavor is enough to keep you coming back for more.

Most of us think of ice cream as an after-meal dessert, but flavors like maple bacon caramel are a surefire way to kick your morning off right, without consuming 700 calories and feeling like you ate cement.

“I had the marketing and some of the business side of things down; we just needed to really learn how to make ice cream,” Maring said. “That’s where Ripleigh stepped up.”

Ripleigh poured hours into the kitchen, learning how to create a perfect balance of texture and taste with remarkable dedication. Her sometimes unconventional concoctions have hit the spot for customers daring to surprise their taste buds.

“Ripleigh has been super on top of things with being thorough with food safety and everything involved with that,” Maring said. “She’s really invested in this.”

The creamery has been officially open less than a month, but it already has the town buzzing to try out all the new flavors available.

Ripleigh’s features 30 flavors of ice cream, with an additional six flavors of Italian ice. The store also offers nine different flavors of alcoholic ice cream and Italian ice, including strawberry margarita, mojito mint, and lemon drop martini.

Their signature desserts with a kick are sure to be a big hit throughout the summer.

There’s something offered for the whole family, including your family pets. Ripleigh’s has peanut butter pup cups, so nobody in the family is left out from enjoying great ice cream. Through the summer, you can catch Ripleigh’s Tuesday through Sunday, serving your favorite ice cream with a smile. Ripleigh’s is located at 502 E. Main Street in Emmitsburg.

Masterchef Ripleigh Maring slices avocados for her popular Spicy Pineapple Avocado ice cream.