{"id":304,"date":"2024-04-24T17:48:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T17:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze1952.com\/?page_id=304"},"modified":"2026-09-01T19:46:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:46:02","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meet the Owners
Katie DiNonno and Matt Cangialosi<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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“We expanded our menu in the past four years and while we\u2019d previously been perceived as an ice cream place that you\u2019d come to after having dinner elsewhere, you can now come here for everything.”
Katie<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We\u2019re happy to support all of these [local] organizations and they often show their appreciation by having their gatherings here,\u00a0so it comes back.\u201d
Matt<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jersey Freeze was founded in 1952 by the Blackmore family. When Jersey Freeze opened its doors, there was mainly ice cream being served in Freehold, NJ. By the 1970s, the restaurant was a go-to spot for fast food and ice cream in the area. Katie DiNonno started working at Jersey Freeze as a teen in high school and became a manager quickly after she was working there in 1990s. In 2014, Katie and Matt Cangialosi purchased the restaurant from Bruce Blackmore, who retired. Since 2014, Katie and Matt have been managing the restaurant successfully. In March 2020, Katie and Matt opened their second location at Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ. Jersey Freeze\u2019s sole focus is not just building a community of customers; we are woven into the fabric of the entire community. Using our platform to create business opportunities for others, giving back to those in need, in every community we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Katie and Matt partnered up with Matthew Borowski to open a third location in Colts Neck, NJ. That partnership has continued to grow: the three of them are also the ownership team behind Jersey Freeze\u2019s newest location in Old Bridge, NJ. Together, they\u2019re bringing that same hands-on, multi-location experience to franchisees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the track record behind the opportunity: a 74-year-old brand, a proven model already operating successfully across multiple locations and communities, and an ownership team with decades of direct, hands-on restaurant experience. In 2026, we opened that opportunity to franchisees for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Jersey Freeze team brings a wealth of industry and franchise experience to help our Franchisees build high-performing stores. We\u2019re here to give you the tools, advice, and motivation you need to be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Katie DiNonno, Managing Director<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Katie started working for the family of original owners of Jersey Freeze in 1991. She was only 15 years old at the time and has loved the business since serving her first cone. Being part of this well-known iconic brand and the community it\u2019s built since 1952 has motivated Katie for 34 years. She worked her way from counter server to manager; Katie is really a key part of the company\u2019s most recent history. When the second-generation owner was ready to sell, he wanted to keep the business in the family and Katie was a big part of the Jersey Freeze family. Katie partnered with Matt Cangialosi in 2015, and the business has grown exponentially.

Together she and Matt have evolved the brand since 2015. They are excited about the opportunity Jersey Freeze will offer potential Franchisees nationally\u2014and one day internationally. In addition to her ownership in Jersey Freeze, she also serves as the President of Liv Like A Unicorn<\/a>, a pediatric cancer foundation dedicated to supporting children and families facing cancer. Katie is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of Jersey Freeze Franchisees and the communities they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Matt Cangialosi, Managing Director<\/h3>\n\n\n\n


Matt is a former New Jersey police officer who retired in 2015. He\u2019s always had a passion for food and desserts and enjoyed working in the hospitality industry. In Matt\u2019s early life, he worked in multiple ice cream shops and restaurants. When Katie approached him with the opportunity to partner up in 2015, he was reunited with his true passion. While Katie focuses on new recipes, training and keeping the staff in line, Matt\u2019s focused on creating systems, processes and marketing the business. Always having growth in the back of his mind, hoping to one day franchise the business. Now entering their twelfth season, the dream has become a reality and have a viable franchise opportunity. They\u2019ve added two more corporate locations and continue to build on quality and community. Matt prides himself on being a leader and a problem-solver. His strengths lie in community building, team development, understanding the numbers, and marketing this iconic brand while keeping Jersey Freeze deeply rooted in local culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn About Our History<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meet the OwnersKatie DiNonno and Matt Cangialosi “We expanded our menu in the past four years and while we\u2019d previously been perceived as an ice cream place that you\u2019d come to after having dinner elsewhere, you can now come here for everything.”Katie “We\u2019re happy to support all of these [local] organizations and they often show their … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1103,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-304","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2299,"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/304\/revisions\/2299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerseyfreeze.com\/freehold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}