The summer heat in the D.C. Metro Area can be a lot–so why not cool off with a sweet treat? Max’s Best Ice Cream, opening June 2025, is set to become your new go-to for refreshing scoops and indulgent treats. With creations you’ll crave all year long, this shop is definitely one to watch.
Max’s Best Ice Cream, co-owned by Cory Alexander and family-operated, will serve farm-fresh ice cream from Vanderwende Farm Creamery. Vanderwende’s is a multi-generational family-owned and operated dairy company based in Delaware. This will be the first time Vanderwende Farm Creamery’s ice cream will be available in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. All of their flavors will be available, including 20 signature flavors and 10 seasonal flavors in rotation. Max’s Best Ice Cream will also source ingredients from local artisans, and you know Marylanders love local anything! As for the structure itself, it was designed by //3877, a Washington, D.C. architecture and design firm. This place looks like a great spot to grab some ice cream with your friends, family, or solo. From the beautiful shade of green used, to the complementing wooden elements, it looks like it has a comforting feel to it. And there will be bar seating available for guests to watch how the ice cream creations are made.
Max’s Best Ice Cream’s menu includes extreme milkshakes, extreme sundaes, boozy milkshakes, and innovative floats. These options sound fun! This shop is dedicated to the quality of their creations and innovation. See the descriptions from Max’s Best Ice Cream below for more details:
- Extreme Milkshakes – Over-the-top milkshakes adorned with frosted rims and paired with creative toppings including cakes, cookies, candy bars and so much more.
- Extreme Sundaes – Indulgent sundaes that sit on top of warm, fresh-baked confections to create the right touch of softened ice cream and topped with outrageously delicious garnishes
- Boozy Milkshakes – Handcrafted boozy milkshakes that find the delicate balance between a cocktail and a dessert.
- Innovative Floats – A creative twist on traditional ice cream floats that creates the perfect harmony between flavors and textures for a truly irresistible experience. From a modern take on an Arnold Palmer to a cold brew coffee float, [they] are reinventing classic soda fountain ice cream floats.
And it gets even better! Max’s Best Ice Cream is partnering with Best Buddies International. Best Buddies International is a nonprofit organization. It is dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement. This movement creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This partnership will be great for the surrounding community. Montgomery County, MD has about 40,000 people with IDDs, according to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Commission’s 2024 Annual Report. Max’s Best Ice Cream will be a great addition to the community. It will not only be a place to grab dessert but a place that also supports and gives people with IDDs opportunities to connect and thrive! The Best Buddies Job Program and new F&B partner, Max’s Best Ice Cream, will tackle these barriers and create more job opportunities in this area.
I had the pleasure of asking the owner, Cory, more about Max’s Best Ice Cream and its impact on the area.
What inspired you to open this ice cream shop, and how did you decide on this particular location?
Max’s Best Ice Cream fulfills a lifelong father-son dream to open an ice cream store. We named the
store after our son, Max, who is the inspiration behind the concept.
We have always wanted to open our store in Downtown Bethesda and in particular the Woodmont
Triangle area as it continues to grow and attract both commercial and residential development.
How did you first discover the ice cream from Vanderwende’s Creamery, and what made it the
perfect choice for your shop?
We grew up going to Vanderwende’s Creamery on our way to the beaches. Their flagship store in
Bridgeville, DE is located on the family’s dairy farm and a must-stop on the trip.
After a lot of research, we determined nothing quite compares to Vanderwende’s ice cream and there is a reason why they are so successful on the Eastern Shore and that side of the Bay Bridge. We are really excited to bring their ice cream to the DMV for the first time!
What makes this dairy farm’s ice cream unique compared to others?
The Vanderwende’s family are dairy farmers. As a result, the base ice cream is truly farm-fresh and
produces a distinctively creamy texture. You can absolutely taste the difference. The creativity of
Vanderwende’s ice cream flavors is distinctive, and we are eager to serve 36 of their flavors at Max’s
Best Ice Cream.
What impact do you hope your partnership with Best Buddies International will have on the
local community?
A portion of our workforce will be individuals with special needs… and we seek to create meaningful
job opportunities for everyone.
With such a significant gap in workforce participation for people with disabilities in
Montgomery County, how do you hope your shop’s collaboration with Best Buddies
International will inspire other local businesses to become more inclusive employers?
That’s exactly right. We hope to inspire other businesses to consider partnering with Best Buddies –
through their jobs program – to employ individuals with special needs.
Best Buddies jobs program supports both the employer and employees for the duration of the
employment – a truly incredible program.
What kind of experience do you want customers to have when they visit your shop?
We’re confident that each customer will experience a warm, friendly team waiting for them to enter our store. Once inside, whether they dine-in or take out, we hope they will enjoy the store, the comfort of our dine-in seating options, and their overall experience. Most importantly, we will seek to serve amazing ice cream and ice cream treats from a broad, unique and fun menu of options.
What do you hope your shop will contribute to the local food scene?
Max’s Best Ice Cream is so much more than your typical scoop shop. We will have extreme shakes,
custom sundaes, boozy milkshakes and many other unique ice cream treats. We believe Bethesda is
a perfect place to bring forward this distinctive and fun menu. Offering unique, comfortable dine-in
options will also be something new for ice cream in Bethesda.
What was the inspiration behind the shop’s design and atmosphere?
The colors and design was inspired by Max’s favorite colors – turquoise and teal.
Max’s Best Ice Cream will be a great addition to Downtown Bethesda. Based on what I’ve heard about the ice cream and the other creations, I’m certain that the DMV will love it!
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