Michael Zampino

The Climb

Today, Michael is chef of Benfaremo, the Lemon Ice King of Corona. It is a title that suggests precision more than spectacle, and stewardship as much as craft. At a place so closely identified with one beloved specialty, the work is intimate and exacting, shaped by consistency, repetition, and the expectations of customers who return for something they already know they love. Zampino’s path has led him into the heart of that operation, where the daily act of making Italian ices becomes its own form of hospitality.

Today

As chef, he works in a narrow and specific craft: Italian ices. The narrowness is deceptive. Within that focused world lies a surprising breadth of flavor, texture, and instinct, and Zampino speaks of it in practical terms rather than grand ones. The menu has grown by flavor count, according to Zampino: “We have about 50-some-odd flavors now.” That kind of expansion suggests a business alive to variety without losing its center, a shop that has stretched while remaining unmistakably itself. His co-owner role ties the daily work to the shop’s name and long-running specialty. The connection matters. It means the labor of the day is also the continuation of a larger identity, one that has been built over time and preserved through attention. At The Lemon Ice King of Corona, the idea is not reinvention but continuity: a steady hand on something already cherished.

Signature

Michael's signature dishes include lemon ice, cherry, and peanut butter. In a setting where flavor is everything, these are the sorts of choices that can define a person’s presence behind the counter. Lemon ice brings the obvious brightness of the house specialty; cherry adds a familiar, vivid sweetness; peanut butter suggests the comfort of something rich and satisfying. Together, they sketch a profile of a chef working comfortably within a tradition while helping it remain varied and alive.

In Their Words “We have about 50-some-odd flavors now.” “Peter Benfaremo, the original owner, he took care of me. Thirty-five years later, I'm still here.”

Recognition

Recognition here is local and specific: the Lemon Ice King of Corona name, the Corona address, and the Italian-ice specialty. That specificity is part of its power. Michael Zampino’s work is not framed by a trophy case or a broad list of credentials, but by duration, place, and loyalty—by the fact that he is the chef and co-owner associated with that New York City shop, and that after thirty-five years, he is still there.