Trailside Treats Creamery to open year-round ice cream parlor

In the wake of Roccoroma’s closing, Trailside Treats Creamery has purchased the building at 99 Railroad Ave. in Goshen with plans to open a year-round ice cream parlor to complement their St. James Place location.

“We purchased the building from Roccoroma Nov. 15,” said Trailside Treats Creamery owner Paul Corey. “We had been looking for a building that would allow us to make and store more ice cream and bring back ice cream cakes. Our space at the ice cream stand is too small for that. In this building, we will make the ice cream, create new flavors and products, and have indoor seating for a year-round 1920s-themed ice cream parlor where you go back in time when you walk through the door.”

Corey said the goal is to have the parlor open this winter. The current Trailside location will remain as is.

“Our current location, which we have had since 2012, will continue as a seasonal April to October ice cream stand,” he said. “The main difference, as it pertains to our original location, is the ice cream will be made at our new place, allowing us to serve customers better.”

For more information in Trailside Treats Creamery, visit trailsidetreatscreamery.com or call 845-360-5923.

Roccoroma closes after 15 years

After being in business for more than 15 years, Roccoroma’s last day was Saturday, Nov. 2. When asked, via email, what led to Roccoroma’s closing, owner Thomas Mastrantoni responded with the following:

“It was a combination of personal and business reasons. After COVID, we lost all our corporate catering accounts and our kitchen staff. Then the increased costs of doing business killed our profits. We realized we had to start all over again and train more staff and increase our prices. We lost my dad and brother during COVID and Mamma (main cook) became ill. She worked on and off, but it was getting hard for her to do it daily. She stayed on consulting and worked holidays.

“I was eager to invest to reinvent our products and services but found it nearly impossible to get funding. In a way, I’m lucky because the formula doesn’t work anymore if you want to offer quality products and service. The Italian Deli is a massive undertaking and you need skilled labor to create the same products daily and staff to sell, prepare, and clean.

“Unfortunately, New York is not a place for this type of business anymore. The rate of return is minimal unless you have a small shop with no employees or multiple locations to leverage losses and gains. Most small business are dumping money into their businesses to stay afloat either with lines of credit, MCA loans or their own cash. It’s going to implode. I hope the few that are still around can survive. They are holding on to centuries-old recipes and techniques and when we lose them, they’re gone forever.”