OUR SPONSOR
Greater Babylon coverage is funded in part by The Argyle Theatre, where Broadway comes to Babylon. Click here for tickets to Annie, Nov. 13 – Jan. 4.
Sweet Spots
Eric and Linda Mann didn’t grow up churning ice cream, but that didn’t stop them from diving spoon-first into the dessert business.
Now this Massapequa couple is scooping up bold flavors and big smiles at Mann’s Homemade Ice Cream, the family’s cozy shop on Merrick Road in Amityville.
They opened last September with a simple goal: make something that brings the community joy.
“We believe that we put out a good product,” said Linda Mann. “People love names, and we think we are making one for ourselves.”
That product? Small-batch, preservative-free ice cream that’s made fresh — never older than five days, they say — and loaded with personality. There’s a rotating menu of more than two dozen flavors, including wild seasonal hits like Leprechaun’s Treasure, Witches Brew and Aruba Wedding Cake.
And if you’re brave enough, grab a Mann’s Monster — a massive mix of flavors and toppings that lives up to its name.
“Eric is always concocting some recipe in the kitchen,” said Linda. “We always use the best ingredients we can get our hands on. The next thing you know, he’s got some wacky flavor in there that everyone seems to love.”
Neither Eric nor Linda comes from a culinary background, but there is some food lineage: Eric’s great-grandfather ran two bakeries in Queens, and he says the business has always intrigued him.
So why ice cream?
“My first response is always, well you wouldn’t want me making you chicken cacciatore!” Eric joked.
Still, Eric isn’t afraid to get adventurous.
The Manns are known to take suggestions from customers — even the out-there ones.
“People have come to us and said, ‘Can you make Burnt Banana?’ I’m like, what in the world?” said Linda. “Someone even asked for spicy ice cream. So maybe we will.
“It’s a challenge — but we love a challenge.”
Beyond the brick-and-mortar shop at 189 Merrick Road, Mann’s also hits the water.
On summer weekends, you might spot Eric piloting Mann’s Homemade Ice Cream Boat through the canals of Zach’s Bay, Hemlock Cove and Garbage Cove, where he brings scoops straight to sunbathers and boaters.
Mann’s also offers dairy-free, sugar-free and vegan options, and they’re open seven days a week.
Because, as Eric puts it: “Ice cream is supposed to be a happy food — and we don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
Top: Eric and Linda Mann at their Amityville ice cream shop, which they opened in September. (Credit: Andrew Rappaport/GLI)
More photos
