ROCHESTER — Since she was hired as a worker in 2011, Rochester resident Amber Romero has served up soft serve, sandwiches and snacks at Captain Bonney’s Ice Cream.

When Captain Bonney’s founder Linda Plaud retired in 2020, Romero took the helm and gained ownership of the business. However, she had to save up money in order to purchase the land that the shop is located on. 

In 2025, she was able to purchase the property and now intends to voyage into uncharted waters with her crew, planning renovations and an expanded menu.

Romero sat down with Sippican Week to talk about her favorite items on the menu, plans for the future and what makes Captain Bonney’s stand-out among the many South Coast ice cream shops.

What was the transition like to go from a worker at Captain Bonney’s to the owner?

My first year of ownership was 2020, so that was obviously a crazy year because of COVID and everything. Coming off of being an employee, it was a very quick transition, which was very beneficial because I think that it wasn't because of COVID and [if] I didn’t have the ability to learn things so quickly, maybe I would have a different business now. 

[...] Once we got through that year, it was very easy. Then we got to [2025], which is the year that I was able to buy the property and everything.

What do you think makes Captain Bonney’s unique from other ice cream shops?

We have a huge play area and everything where people can sit. A lot of people bring their families and everything so I think that is a really good draw, that when you come with your kids, you can spend a whole day here.

[...] We really try every month to have a new themed menu. So like this month, we’re doing Captain Bonney’s summer picks and it’s all nautical themed ice creams and we’re incorporating shark week into it because of the Discovery Channel. Last month, we did a rodeo week. So every month, we try and do something new, which takes a lot of work.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor that’s served here?

Every year, I have a couple flavors that I switch back and forth on that are my favorite. Like, the basic flavor is cookie dough. Then I like salty caramel. This year, we have brookie dough. It’s special, made just for the shop by Acushnet Creamery. [...] It’s vanilla ice cream with fudge swirl cookie pieces and brownie pieces.

What’s your favorite non-ice cream food item served at the shop?

Personally, I love a good wrap, and we have a lot of options. My favorite non-ice cream item, I would say, is the chicken caesar wrap. It’s just really good, basic and everything. We do chicken, caesar dressing, parmesan, croutons and lettuce.

For customers who are visiting the shop for the first time, what would you recommend they try?

I would recommend them trying one of our specialty sundaes. We have a Reese’s sundae that is really popular, and we also have a couple frappes and stuff that people like.

What do you envision for the future of the business?

Me and my husband are working to make improvements on both the outside and the inside. We’ve been making a plan for when we close for the off season to just do a lot of renovations and stuff that we haven’t really had the chance to do, and then we can expand the menu. 

[...] Repairs, renovations, making it into what I envision as a little bit more nautical and everything, playing off of that theme of Captain Bonney’s and also bringing in some Rochester stuff.

What’s the most rewarding part of becoming the owner of Captain Bonney’s?

Definitely the community, both inside and outside of the shop. For all these years I’ve been here, seeing families that keep coming back, but also seeing the new people and everything and the new customers. It’s nice to talk to them, to know their story and then to see my crew work so well and work very hard.