ISCREAM Ice Cream Shop Becomes Riverdale Favorite

As August creeps to a close, Riverdale’s newest ice cream shop is wrapping up its first summer season — and it’s proved to be a hit.

Owner Brian Silbert opened ISCREAM, 566 W. 235th St., in October 2024, unsure whether his gamble would be worth the risk. A longtime television producer with credits on “American Chopper” and “Impractical Jokers,” Silbert had never so much as worked a cash register.

He relocated to Riverdale with his wife and two young daughters in 2021 from Connecticut and quickly noticed what the neighborhood lacked.

“When we moved here, I kept asking, ‘Where’s the ice cream shop?’” he said. “I wanted a place to walk to with my girls. But there wasn’t one.”

That absence was the catalyst that drove him into the small business realm. Silbert learned the logistics one step at a time, from permits and plumbing to equipment and staffing. He leaned on the same instincts that guided his television career.

“I figured, I’ve produced complicated things before, I can produce a shop,” he explained. “It turned out to be much harder than I thought.”

Silbert believed the mood mattered as much as the menu. He made sure the shop was spotless, colorful and alive with music, but the real proof would be in the ice cream.

After months of tasting, he settled on Adirondack Creamery, a New York–based supplier known for avoiding preservatives and artificial flavors. He made the menu fully kosher, a deliberate choice for a neighborhood with a vibrant Jewish community. 

By June, the risk had paid off. The neighborhood ice cream parlor quickly became part of Riverdale’s rhythm. Parents crowded the counter with their kids, teens came in after school, and older residents paused for cones on their evening walks.

For Silbert, the moments that stuck with him weren’t the big sales days but the small kindnesses, like slipping a free scoop to a child whose cone toppled, or watching strangers chat over a sweet treat.

“There’s a little philosophy to ice cream,” he said. “It’s universal. From babies to seniors, everybody loves it. It brings people together in a way few things can.”

Now, with summer fading, Silbert is focused on growing ISCREAM as a year-round destination. He’s increasingly crafting playful clips for Instagram and TikTok — from showcasing special flavors to staging ice-cream-themed skits — all designed to draw in customers from Riverdale and beyond.

He has also teamed up with neighborhood pediatricians, supplying free-scoop cards to sweeten a child’s visit after a shot, and hopes to expand similar partnerships across the community.

The first year brought plenty of lessons in the relentless pace of a small business, but Silbert notes the response from Riverdale made the effort worthwhile. 

“It’s been a crazy ride,” he said. “But when I see families sitting together, laughing over a cone, I know we made the right choice.”

The first year was about survival and discovery. But, the months ahead are about deepening roots in the neighborhood. 

“In a world that’s confusing and complicated and layered and not straightforward, come in, get some ice cream, be happy for a bit,” Silbert said with a grin.