In Corona, Queens, Lemon Ice King of Corona has been preparing the Italian ice since 1944. The smaller glass still costs a dollar and the store, at the corner of 108th Street and 52nd Avenue, continues to attract customers especially in the summer months. The address is 52-02 108th Street, opposite William E. Moore Park, known by locals like Spaghetti Park.
The activity was started by Nicola Benfaremo, an Italian immigrant who started selling his ice flavored by a garage in 1944. After the return of his son Peter from World War II, the two began working together. In 1964 they opened the current store, while the New York World’s Fair brought millions of visitors to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park area.
The name Lemon Ice King dates back to 1947. A client named Peter Benfaremo “the king of the lemon ice” and he decided to use that phrase as he teaches. The club has remained almost unchanged over the years and has gained a new reputation thanks to its presence in the opening titles of the sitcom The King of Queens.
The Italian ice from the store is similar to a granite, but has a more compact and creamy texture. The recipe does not contain milk or other dairy ingredients: the base consists of water, sugar and aromas, with real fruit in the tastes that provide it. The store offers over thirty variations, including lemon, cherry, orange, piña colada and peanut butter. There are also some versions without sugar.
The most requested taste remains lemon, but peanut butter has become one of the most popular. The preparation takes place in small batches and the ice is worked with a metal spatula, not with the normal ice cream portioner. The result is a compact dome that is placed in the paper glass.
The best known rule concerns tastes: they cannot be mixed or replaced after order. A hand-painted cartel in the store reminds customers. Those who want lemon and cherry must therefore choose one of the two, because each glass can contain only one taste.
Lemon Ice King is also open in winter, when the sale of the Italian ice slows down and increases that of candied apples and other seasonal products. In summer, the store remains open until late in the evening and many customers cross the street with the glass just filled to sit in Spaghetti Park, near the bowling field.
The room did not expand its space and did not change the menu to follow the fashions of the moment. It has maintained the same teaching, the same processing and a list of tastes built over the years. Its fame is evident above all in the row in front of the window and in the way customers keep coming back with their children.
L’articolo A Corona, in Queens, Italian ice cream from a dollar that resists from 1944 comes from IlNewyorkese.
