Alex Israel Creates Snow Beach Frozen Treats in Miami

Alex Israel brings nostalgia for fro-yo to life in Miami

While Alex Israel was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1980s his father started a frozen yogurt shop called The Bigg Chill in 1987. “I used to go there every day after school,” the artist told a crowd at a dinner hosted by Capital One and The Cultivist during Art Basel Miami Beach last week. 

To revisit childhood nostalgia—or “trauma” as Israel joked—he designed Snow Beach Frozen Treats in Miami, open to Capital One cardholders who purchased tickets to the intimate event through Capital One Dining. The fro-yo shop with an art twist was open to the public on one day, December 8, from noon to 3 pm.

Alex Israel Snow Beach Frozen Treats at 1111 Lincoln Road

On the 7th floor of the Herzog & de Meuron-designed 1111 Lincoln Road parking lot, Snow Beach Frozen Treats was an Art Deco-inspired structure with a 1980s Miami-inspired logo. Four frozen yogurt machines sat behind a glass-tiled counter serving up treats in the white monochromatic shop, a flashback to anybody who grew up at the peak of the frozen yogurt craze of the eighties, especially in California. Snow Beach Frozen Treats merch including sweatshirts, beach towels, and hats lined the walls. Israel staged the scene with a trio of white vintage convertibles — a Corvette Stingray, a Mercedes 350 SL, and a Mercedes 280 SL.

“When you grow up in LA, real life and the movies can get a little mixed up,” said Israel. “Even my childhood after-school visits to my family’s frozen yogurt shop feel cinematic in my memory, like time spent on a movie set on a Hollywood backlot.” 

José Andrés and Dominique Crenn Concept Dinners

Capital One Dining partners José Andrés and Dominique Crenn, who each conceptualized a dinner on December 7 and December 6, joined in on the fun, concocting special treats, like José’s Sundae — Colacao (a chocolate beverage from Spain) soft serve finished with olive oil jam, caramelized brioche, and Maldon salt, and Chili Mango Sunday, a mix of vegan mango soft serve topped with Tajin, freeze-dried mango, and salt. 

“It’s thrilling to work with world-renowned chefs, Dominique Crenn and José Andrés, to activate these memories not only through visual elements but also through the sense of taste and the development of uncanny flavors,” said Israel. 

Celebrating Alex Israel’s Snow Beach Frozen Treats

Israel, Andrés, Capital One, and The Cultivist welcomed bold names in town for Miami Art Week, including Hank Willis Thomas, Rujeko Hockley, Martina Navratilova, China Chow, and Miguel, on December 17.  Michelin-starred chef Andrés served a four-course meal that included persimmon and seaweed salad, sea scallops on the half shell, and tamarind-braised short ribs with a playlist of ‘80s tracks playing in the background. 

Snow Beach Frozen Treats ended its run with a sunset cocktail featuring music by Mark Ronson and DJ Jazzy Jeff. 

A mix of food, art, and performance — Snow Beach Frozen Treats recalls a special time in childhood for many while providing a fun break from the hectic pace of Miami Art Week. 

“The hope is to reimagine this sliver of my past—a creative inflection point for me—to make it new again, and to share the experience with so many who will visit Miami this December,” said Israel.