AMSTERDAM — If Josh Malatino had a lump sum of $20,000, expect to find him handing out Italian ice in Amsterdam.
“Everybody wants the Italian ice back,” Malatino said.
The Sno Kone Joe ice cream truck owner hasn’t dished out the frosty treat since his batch freezer broke five years ago. With the right amount of cash, he could get it back.
And he could get more.
Malatino, 45, is one of five national finalists in the running to win a $20,000 grant from ice cream manufacturer Good Humor. The winner will be decided in an online contest running until April 14.
Vote: Good Humor Neighborhood Joy Grant Program vote
He’s already received $5,000 from making it into the top five selection pool.
Scooping up a new batch freezer would cost between $10,000 and $12,000. Should he win, Malatino will make that purchase and potentially replace his 48-year-old ice cream-mobile carburetor with a fuel injection system.
“I keep it old school,” Malatino said. “I love the style of the older vehicles, but the upkeep can be a challenge.”
The truck is only seven years younger than the business itself. Sno Kone Joe started under the ownership of Doug Blanchard. Malatino has been in the business for more than 20 years and has owned it for a “little less than that.”
Some customers know him by name. Others call him Sno Kone Joe or Joe for short.
“I’m a man with many names,” Malatino said.
At one point in the early 2010s, his name circulated in media reports across the globe. In 2013, he and his then-girlfriend were slapped with since-dismissed charges related to allegedly yelling, "You don't have a chance, this is my town!", while running behind a Mr-Ding-A-Ling truck and on another occasion, announcing that he had free ice cream while parked behind the rival in Gloversville.
Visiting Gloversville City Court Judge Howard Aison in 2015 cleared Malatino of charges of stalking, a violation, and harassment, a misdemeanor. The judge deemed his free ice cream offer as protected speech; both run-ins were deemed as "accidental and unexpected," according to the Times Union.
Malatino questioned the relevance of the renewed mention of the tossed-out charges.
He noted that he hasn’t done much business in a long while in Gloversville — an area he has deemed unprofitable.
“The [Memorial Day] parade used to be very good — generating a lot of money, but now it doesn't do anything,” he said. “So I haven't done it in a while.”
Even in Amsterdam — his favorite place to do business, profits aren’t always a given. Weather can change his plans dramatically. Last year’s rain storms and the most recent ice storm threw a wrench into his schedule.
During busy periods in the summertime, he said he doesn’t “have a life.”
But for him, the job remains rewarding.
“You're never really unhappy about going to work,” he said. “You're going out there and you're really just happy to see everybody and everybody's happy to see you.”
One his favorite moments was when then-10-year-old Oliver Batcher asked to play the song "Happy Birthday" for two twin boys who were facing economic hardship. Batcher eventually got Malatino involved in holding an Easter egg party for the boys.
And the ice cream operator got first responders and Bill’s Beverage Center involved in setting up a parade for the boys.
Vote: Good Humor Neighborhood Joy Grant Program vote
Batcher was known at that time to give his ice cream funds to other children without money. It inspired Malatino.
“I tell the story all the time because it's probably the most amazing story of this little 10-year-old boy who just was always about other people besides himself,” he said.
Malatino has a new little one of his own at home. In the off-season, he said that he’s enjoyed spending the bulk of his time with his 6-month-old daughter Isabella.
“I've been out twice so far this year and everybody's asking, ‘Where's the baby?’” he said on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post last September, Malatino wrote, “She will be serving up some ice cream in a few years. Lol.”
He’s anxious for her to try ice cream for the first time. She’s not ready yet. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends waiting 24 months before adding sugar to a baby’s diet.
Malatino said, when the baby spots ice cream, “she's trying to reach out like, ‘What is that? That looks good,’”