Cold Ambition: Brookfield Teen Opens New Ice Cream Shop

BROOKFIELD, CT — An ambitious new eatery in Brookfield will be stretching the boundaries of what local foodies can expect from an ice cream shop, according to its 15-year-old owner-operator.

Munchin Hedeghog Ice Cream & International Sweet Shop, at 616 Federal Road, is owned and operated by brother-and-sister entrepreneurs Max and Kseniya Kapytka.

Jeweler and businesswoman Kseniya, 31, is handling the financial heavy lifting, while Brookfield High School student Max is managing just about everything else.

The siblings nurtured the sweet dream of owning their own scoop salon for a few years, but their efforts began in earnest in May 2023. Max identified his location at 616 Federal Road, the shop previously occupied by Yankee Paintball, and took the lead in the negotiations with the landlord for the lease and the Town for the permits. Much of that business he could handle online and via email, which he says he finagled during study halls and free periods at Brookfield High School.

The reality is a little harsher, as reality often is. Max now mans the shop from its 11 a.m. opening to its close at 10 p.m., seven days a week. Come September, he says he will be leaning on family members for some help scooping during school hours. He reckons he'll be doing most of his homework behind the counter.

But isn't he throwing away his teenage years?

Max doesn't see that. It's just business, as usual.

"I like to hang out with people, but really don't go out partying and such," he shrugged. The young entrepreneur said he has had some business or side hustle for as long as he can remember. From 9-years-old he was selling baby chicks he grew in an incubator, and honey from his father's apiary.

At an age when many high school students are only starting to think about what they want to be when they grow up and what college can best put them on that path, the way ahead for this serial start-up artist is clear.

"I get the opportunity to make the money I need and then retire my parents, that's the first thing on my list. I want to help out my family as much as possible. And then eventually I want to keep growing and open up some more places," he told Patch.

How college fits into the picture is still blurry. Max said he sees the value in what can be learned from business school textbooks, but believes "you also learn a lot from being on the ground and actually getting that experience."

As for his current endeavor, Max believes the Munchin Hedgehog has a claw up on the competition by going large. Instead of specializing in just one type of frozen treat, the new shop will offer everything from hard scoop to sorbet to Italian ice. He claims Munchin Hedgehog is the only shop in the Brookfield and New Milford area to offer rolled ice cream.

"You get exactly what you want, no matter what you want," Max said.