Ice cream, gelato, shakes and sorbets in a variety of flavors are all available at the City of Newburgh’s newest waterfront ice cream shop, Midnight Ferry, located at 12 Front St.

The new ice cream shop is owned and operated by partners Ellen Sigunick and Philippe Pierre of the City of Newburgh. Originally from the Ellenville area, Sigunick moved to the City of Newburgh 15 years ago while Pierre, who is originally from the Chicago area, moved to the Newburgh area seven years ago from New York City.

Pierre and Sigunick partnered and opened the business Palate Wines & Spirits at 115 Liberty St and have since handed off the business to a new owner. Pierre acquired the former Martha Coffee Shop and with his partners, turned it into what is today know as Mrs. Fairfax at 105 Liberty St. The third business that Pierre has opened was with his sister-in-law, which is a southern style influenced restaurant now known today as Mama Roux at 96 Broadway.

While on a trip to Louisiana researching cuisine for Mama Roux, Pierre and Sigunick discovered a treat/ice cream shop in Lafayette, LA that sparked the idea to open up an ice cream shop in the city as they had not seen a business of this kind for some time. Along Route 9W, at 190 S. Robinson Ave, the remnants of the former Dairy Island remain while Mary Jane’s Dairy Bar, located at 5334 Rte 9W, continues to serve the greater Newburgh community a variety of treats and ice cream.

The owner of Mary Jane’s had also offered support and knowledge on how to operate Midnight Ferry for which Sigunick and Pierre are thankful.

The story of the name Midnight Ferry came from the research done by Pierre and Sigunick specifically on the Newburgh waterfront. One such story that stuck with both owners was about the Newburgh Beacon Ferry traveling across the Hudson River that had gotten stuck in the ice. Despite the setback, travelers aboard the ferry were able to keep warm, conversed, enjoyed food and waited till morning to be rescued from the ice.

Pierre, who owns the building at 12 Front Street, seized the opportunity when his tenants, the Craft Draft Brewery, left to pursue other ventures elsewhere.

After only being open a few weeks and without an official grand opening or official announcement, the business has already seen success with the local community and waterfront patrons.

“I don’t think I quite realized how much people would enjoy having ice cream on the waterfront,” Sigunick said. “We’re already seeing a good number of repeats.” Pierre concurred with Sigunick. “The reaction has been great from our neighbors as of from the business community down here on the waterfront,” Pierre said.

As more and more customers from the community and surrounding areas continue to stop by, Sigunick was happy to see the numbers increase despite the difficult and challenging years of COVID. “Survival [during the pandemic] was certainly not guaranteed for those of us in the restaurant and hospitality industry,” Pierre said.

In recent weeks, the city has started the installation of parking meters along the waterfront. Several owners have not expressed favor in their recent installation. Pierre shared that this new city initiative was still unclear to him and also did not find them needed at this point in time.

Furthermore, the perception of two different crowds/markets, the waterfront and Downtown Newburgh, does feel present to Pierre. From Sigunick’s perspective on that point, she shared that she has been happy to see the City of Newburgh families come down to get ice, whereas initially, the more prominently assumed crowd would have been the overflow of crowds from the restaurants during the dinner and lunch rushes. “It feels like another part of the City of Newburgh,” said Sigunick.

With an extensive menu of gelatos, sorbets and other ice creams, the hope going into next year is to bring in more healthy vegan, non-sugar options and to add different desserts and treats to their menu. Hours of operation also plan to be extended to serve the late night weekend waterfront crowd. Other plans for the business include possible catering opportunities, construction of a deck patio, and potential interior work to bring customers in. “This [Midnight Ferry] was really I think an opportunity for us [Pierre and Sigunick] to find a way to give people joy in a real simple way,” Pierre said.

To learn more about the business, you can visit their official website at midnight-ferry.com. Hours of operation, the menu, and contact information for the business are available and Midnight Ferry can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.