You don’t have to drive to Vermont for a maple creemee. Just head to Cambridge. – The Boston Globe

The response surprised Pattavina, who dreamed up the idea as a way to add some simple, accessible fun to the shop’s mostly New England-produced offerings.

“Whenever I picture a corner store, it has to have treats,” they said.

Using ice cream as a lure for eating your vegetables is a classic trick, acknowledges Pattavina, a former restaurateur who began stocking New England-grown produce after noticing it missing from their local grocery store.

But true to the mission, that meant making sure the ice cream was regionally sourced, too. Unlike vanilla and chocolate, maple comes from New England. Momma’s maple creemees are made from Vermont-raised milk, cream, eggs, and maple. (The shop also serves vanilla and chocolate on a rotating basis — check Instagram for what’s on special when you go.)

“I never ate a maple soft serve, ever, until I became an adult,” said Pattavina. “But still, I didn’t really even understand what a craze it was until we opened.”

On an average day, the store turns out about 100 cones, although recently they hit a record of nearly 200 in a day, and selling out early September weekends. Pattavina expected creemees would be seasonal, but based on the response, they now plan to serve it year-round.

“As long as people keep coming and eating them, then we’ll keep serving them,” they said.

On Sundays, Momma’s offers a rotating cast of sundaes ($9) — a recent special topped maple soft serve with locally-produced marshmallow fluff and Vermont-based goat caramel from Fat Toad Farm, and maple sprinkles.

Some customers who arrive early think it’s a great breakfast food — after all, the machine starts churning out cones as soon as the shop opens, said Pattavina.

Accessibility is a big part of the idea, said Pattavina, including the price point.

“You need to have $100 to go into a restaurant to do the tip and do the meal, and if you want to drink,” they said. “But you could go into Momma’s, and you can get an apple, you can get a bottle of milk. You can get an ice cream.”

If you trade rolling fields and goats for Mass. Ave. traffic, does a maple creemee taste as sweet? From a bank of laundromat-style seats outside the shop, the creemee’s nostalgic flavor seemed as at home in the autumn air as on the farm.

The store features sophisticated fare: natural wines, lavender tea cookies, artisanal beans, and local cheese line its counters. But thanks to the creemee, some of its biggest boosters are kids. Pattavina enjoys when groups of them line up, chaotically debating twist combinations and toppings — only to hear the crowd fall silent when it’s time to eat.

“I think my favorite thing is kids after school with a Ziploc baggie of change that really wait patiently in line, and then, order one, and then take it outside with their gigantic backpack and eat it,” said Pattavina. “Oh my God, it’s just so happy.”

Momma’s Grocery + Wine, 2304 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, www.mommasgrocery.com