INSIDE SCOOP

7126 Main St, Kew Gardens Hills, NY

718-793-8629 • www.facebook.com/maxandminas

Among the kosher restaurants and supermarkets, Bukharian barbershops, synagogues and Judaica shops peppering Main Street in Kew Gardens, Queens, one family-owned business particularly stands out: Max and Mina’s, a kosher ice cream shop opened by brothers Bruce and Mark Becker back in 1997 and still going strong with unmistakable character. Known for its ever-changing menu and bold creations—from cereal-inspired scoops to savory surprises—Max & Mina’s has earned a cult following and national recognition. Every batch is made in-house, reflecting the brothers’ passion for creativity and quality.

Their grandfather Max Sockloff was a chemist who made a living by developing consumer products such as toothpaste. For his own pleasure, and to delight his wife, Mina, and his extended family, including Bruce and Mark, he developed recipes for ice cream, too. After Max’s death, Bruce uncovered his ice cream journal, which eventually helped inspire the shop. With close to 16,000 flavors created since their opening, I’m sure that Bruce and Mark have surpassed their grandfather in sheer variety of flavors.

You’ll find Max & Mina’s on an unassuming block in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY. Not the best of riding, but when you have such an eclectic spot, you make concessions. For me, it seems like a no-brainer to make a stop the next time I’m headed to CitiField to see the Mets. I can only hope that this season’s team will be inspiring enough to get me there soon.

The facade of Max & Mina’s is just a very small piece of the amazing decoupage you will find once you enter. Surrounded by what Bruce Becker calls “my collections” – a wildly diverse, visually overwhelming display of cereal boxes, bumper stickers, decals, record albums, pages clipped from old magazines, and more, covering the walls, the ceiling and most other flat surfaces – it reminds me somewhat of the inside of our Monkey with a Gun Tiki Bar.

Bruce continually weighs the expectations of returning customers, who often request favorite flavors from past visits, against his own desire for “keeping things moving” by creating new ones. In a shop that can offer only 30-some flavors on any given day, Bruce says he’s a ‘game day’ person, letting his mood guide him once he hits the machine. He’ll make up to five new flavors each day.

Bruce is always stopping at farmstands, finding the freshest in fruits, vegetables and whatever else may inspire his creativity. He will also make regular trips to places like Costco, BJ/s and Walmart, as he says they have phenomenal ingredients and he’ll just buy them all.

Some of the favorites that have appeared are farm-fresh blackberry, cardamom pistachio, eggnog, and salty peanut butter. Max & Mina’s gained wide attention in its early years, however, for flavors that stepped beyond the bounds of what was then considered suitable for ice cream. Lox is the most infamous; pickle and horseradish are recurring favorites.

Considering how much wall space is devoted to cereal-box artwork, not only from the colorful box fronts but also from the backs and sides, breakfast cereal appears prominently in many of Bruce’s creations. One of the top sellers, when on the menu, is Captain Crunch cookies ‘n’ cream, which features the namesake breakfast. As children, observes Mark, the stories and games on the backs and sides of the boxes entertained us, briefly, during breakfast – just as a visit to Max & Mina’s can “take you out of your reality for five minutes.”

The shop is almost a museum and a time portal. On one section of the ceiling, there are pictures of scenes from the 1989 Batman movie. Rather than keeping the collection in a box in the garage, attic, bedroom, or hoarding it away, it is out for all to see, such as a 1976 Yankees yearbook. While you might get lost in the revelry, it is just a wonderland of surprises.

Max & Mina’s sells hard ice cream only; there’s no soft serve, no sorbet. No sprinkles, either. Business is cash only. In what can be a surprise to customers from outside the neighborhood, Max & Mina's is closed on Saturdays – even on sunny summer afternoons – just like all the other kosher businesses along the strip. The shop does open briefly, after the Sabbath, late each Saturday evening.

At Max & Mina’s, every day is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, or rather Breakfast Ice Cream Every Day. If you visit, I’d love to know what flavor caught your fancy.