ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (May 13, 2024) – A teacher and a toy branding manager walk into a bar. It sounds like a new twist on an age-old joke. But in this version, it’s an ice cream bar, and it’s not a joke – it’s the new venture by St. Augustine residents Mike and Kate Alfieri. Cookiebird Ice Cream Bar is celebrating its grand opening from 12pm to 4pm on Sunday, June 2nd, at their newly-renovated shop at 138 San Marco Avenue. The celebration will include giveaways, discounted merch and soft serve, a raffle, hot dog cart, live music, and a fairy hair booth. But luckily, there’s no need to wait until June. Mike and Kate are serving up their unique take on ice cream at their Uptown St. Augustine location every Wednesday through Sunday, beginning at noon.
“This entire venture happened pretty organically,” says Mike Alfieri, co-owner of Cookiebird Ice Cream Bar. “Food has always been a love language in our household. Ice cream was a natural fit. And once we found the space in Uptown St. Augustine, the concept of a neighborhood ice cream shop became a reality. We’ve been planning for five years and opened mid-April. Now that it’s here, there’s nothing like seeing the joy you bring to people when they eat something you created. And we’ve been so excited to see that many of our patrons are locals – we really appreciate that show of support!”
Cookiebird Ice Cream Bar creates delectable soft serve ice cream that will transport adults back in time and show kids how great ice cream can be. Regular flavors include vanilla, chocolate, and vegan vanilla, with feature flavors being added. Cookiebird offers uniquely flavored waffle cones, like French vanilla, dark chocolate, matcha, birthday cake, lavender, and orange creamsicle – a gluten-free sugar cone is also available. Premium toppings include Biscoff cookies, Oreo cookies, graham crackers, peanuts, dark chocolate curls, and sprinkles made with natural plant dyes. For a twist on the traditional Italian ice cream sandwich, Cookiebird pairs a sweet brioche milk bun with ice cream, which is then heated and sealed with a dusting of powdered sugar. They also create shakes and custom sundaes. Mike’s past as a bartender has helped him approach the menu with a mixologist’s mindset. Instead of focusing solely on the ice cream flavors, it’s the sum of all the parts.
“When we first started building our flavor library, I knew we had to get the basics down,” says Mike. “I didn’t just want to cram a bunch of flavors in to cover up a sub-par base. I was passionate about beginning with a really good vanilla and chocolate. That’s what’s fun about our concept. Just like building a cocktail, each layer has its own characteristics and compliments the other components.”
ABOUT COOKIEBIRD ICE CREAM BAR: Cookiebird Ice Cream Bar is a locally-owned and operated ice cream bar that offers handcrafted soft serve ice cream, shakes, and sundaes, served with an array of toppings and unique flavored waffle cones and milk buns. It is located at 138 San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine, Florida and is open Wednesday through Thursday from 12pm to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 9pm, Sunday from 12pm to 8pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday.
