Is it safe to assume almost every native Suffolk County Long Islander knows of, or has been to Magic Fountain in Mattituck? Though we all know the place with the painted-face ice cream cones and crazy good seasonal flavors, what you might not know is it originally opened at a Dairy Queen in 1966.

Since then, the original owners at the time weren’t willing to compromise taste and made the switch to Magic Fountain. Over the years, it become one of only five surviving independently owned Magic Fountains in the country, including shops in Bay Ridge, New Jersey, and Florida.

Back in 2007, the current owner, Choudry Ali, known as simply “Ali,” purchased the ice cream shop and brought it back to its roots of selling 100 percent homemade ice cream.

“My wife grew up in Mattituck and we saw the opportunity and bought it,” he said, noting that they currently live nearby in Jamesport. “I always wanted to own my own business and create something unique.”

After working hard for a couple of years, the Magic Fountain was transformed into what everyone currently loves and knows, with over 30 homemade flavors and dozens of seasonal ones, including beet ginger, fig and honey, sweet corn, coffee Oreo and caramel latte. But everyone’s favorite is seemingly the Blue Cookie Monster.

Ali not only creates the recipes himself, but also handmakes them all on his own. His wife, Journey, who has another career, helps manage the office, and Ali has another employee who is his cake decorator, in addition to several servers.

“I have a lot of fun creating new flavors and meeting lots of great people—locals and travelers from different states with stories. It’s fun stuff,” he said, proud of his business. “I appreciate our customers for keeping us in business all these years.”