If you’ve strolled down PVD’s Westminster Street in the West End over the past few months, you might have noticed something sweet happening. Big Feeling isn’t just another ice cream shop — it’s a happy hub where founder Alex Maddalena is serving up joy, nostalgia, and, yup, big feelings with each sweet scoop he sells. It started with a wedding gift. This former Jersey boy, who fell head-over-heels for RI after moving here with his wife about a decade ago, received an ice cream maker as a wedding present. Curiosity got the best of him and there was no looking back after making his first batch. Ice cream became his thing. As a fan of his childhood favorite, Choco-Taco from the neighborhood ice cream truck, he wanted new flavor combos that would create similar feelings of happiness, but he couldn’t find the flavors he was looking for. He started whipping up his own creations and found out others liked them too. Well, not so much with his Ants on a Log riff of the kid classic – celery, peanut butter, and raisins – he was the only fan of that one. But there were dozens more that others wanted to eat. What began as a bit of a hobby soon turned into a fullblown passion for food science and the art of making ice cream.
Long gone are the days of wooden buckets and arm-cramping hand cranks that some of us may remember from childhood ice cream-making adventures. I recall using that “technology” when I was a kid and each one of us had to take turns stirring the concoction that would at some point turn into vanilla ice cream. But while Alex’s process benefits from modern equipment, the magic,and the dedication to make something good that goes into each batch, remains the same. Every single ingredient is true blue and the ice cream is made in-house. No artificial anything. Alex also partners up with local farmers, bringing in the berries from Foggy Notion Farm based in Johnston and peaches from Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton. His appreciation for community building extends to working with other local businesses — Big Feeling hosted a pop-up with Caribe & Co, another RI-based business that creates amazing Caribbean-inspired syrups that were used at the special event. Before setting up his shop across the street from Classical High School and just down a few blocks from the Cranston Street Armory in January 2025, Alex tested the waters with pop-ups around town. His first big chance? A 2018 pop-up at Bolt Coffee in the RISD Art Museum, where owner Bryan Gibb took a chance on Alex’s take on affogato — that dreamy Italian treat where hot espresso meets cold ice cream.
After years in the food industry and countless hours experimenting, Alex finally opened Big Feeling’s doors. You might wonder about that unusual name – I did. For Alex, it’s deeply personal. It came from a buddy’s song title, but it took on a whole new meaning when he was going through a tough time with depression and discovered that making ice cream was helping to clear those grey skies in his heart. The name perfectly captures what Alex hopes to create: not just ice cream, but genuine connections and experiences that come from sharing this dessert. Walk into Big Feeling any day of the week and prepare yourself for some wild flavor combos. For example, “Can I Call U Rose” is a crazy blend of goat cheese and rose that totally works. It shows off Alex’s creativity to put really fascinating ingredients together to make something special.
Fan favorites include the Mango Sticky Rice, the mildly spicy Horchata, and the fascinating Plum Magnolia (yes, magnolia flower petals are one of the ingredients). And don’t worry, Alex’s signature vanilla, as well as chocolate, proves that classics can still make your heart go pitter-patter. Plus, there are plenty of rotating non-dairy options and refreshing sorbets too so that everyone can enjoy a sweet treat. Can’t make it to the shop? No worries. You can grab pints at Stock or Fox Point Grocers over on the East Side. While Alex might be the mastermind behind all those incredible flavor mash-ups, he’s quick to add that he doesn’t do it alone. His dedicated crew includes a stellar group of folks: Q, Molly, Tarik, Kass, Luna, and Charee – each helping make the ice cream and ensuring that the Big Feeling experience is available to all who come in for a visit. I don’t know about you, but I have a little trouble with commitment at times, so sampling really goes a long way when you can get away with it. And you can at Big Feeling, by checking out flavors before ordering a cone or picking up a pint to take home to share (or not, no judgment here). For the “must-eat-ice-cream-as-much-as-possible” crowd, The Pint Club is where it’s at, because you get first dibs on new flavors. And here’s a sweet insider scoop: Swing by on your birthday for a FREE cone! So, stop by for some tasty ice cream and leave with a big ole feeling that all is well in the world – well, at least in that moment it is. •
