5 minute read
Twin Boxers
Twin Boxers
Ancient City Brunch Bar
by Yvette Monell
THEY DESIGNED THE CONCEPT. THEY DESIGNED ALL THE RECIPES. THEY work it. Everything that you see, or taste, or feel is the concept — from 18-year-old girls, twin girls. “We think outside the box,” say Emily and Sophia Schroeder.
The Brunch Box concept: a meal in a box from the five food groups. A protein, a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy and a grain, all in one box, and you can take it anywhere.
The girls’ concepts are ever evolving. Vision and groove is how they describe their working together. They come up with ideas equally. “Emily has more of the execution — behind the scenes pushing everything out,” said Sophia” “Sophia is definitely the front person, ‘the receptionist,’” Emily says with a laugh.
“These were twins you could not dress alike,” said mom, Melissa Schroeder. “My daughters are fantastic bakers! One is a vegetarian. One has a health condition. It was very challenging as a mom to cook for four kids and then four kids with completely different dietary restrictions and preferences. The girls started cooking when they were little. The kids have always been in the kitchen with me, with me in highchairs. Charcuterie board style was how we would feed the four kids. Laying everything out and letting them pick and graze, choose items of their choice. We brunch every day at our house”
“My sister and her husband moved to Ponte Vedra Beach about ten years ago. That’s what really made me want to move here. I fell in love with St. Augustine,” said Melissa. Just about two years after moving the family from Miami, Melissa came to the location at 210 St. George Street. It was a chocolate tour from St. Augustine Experience. She could see the owner was tired and struggling with everything going on. She stayed back after the tour and asked if he was interested in selling her the shop.
“I know what it’s like to risk and put yourself out there as an entrepreneur. I was in commercial real estate turning businesses around. I’ve had twenty-five years of great experiences consulting great people. Find a failing business, I’d sit with the owner’s and examine the infrastructure. The decisions that they’re making, their profit and loss. Find ways to help them instead of losing the business or selling the business. Find ways to just help mentor them. It provided a lot of learning lessons. What to do and what not to do. How ‘community’ is important. Local is important. The value of personal relationships with your consumer is essential. And collaboration. I think coaching other businesses will always be a part of who I am. Anyone needs anything or any way that I can help I don’t think that’ll ever go away.”
“Both Emily and Sophia want to go into some type of business in their lifetime, so I made them work for this. They have an internship class for school. They wanted to expose themselves to a business environment where they could get some experience in the business world before going off to college. They’re graduating from Ponte Vedra High School,” said Melissa. “We’re shopping colleges. The girls have a lot of opportunities and choices. It’s interesting to watch twins – who been sharing space since they were conceived — to separate. I think the Brunch Bar is what’s going to keep them talking, together. And I’m soon to be an empty nester, ‘What do I do next?’ After twenty-five years of helping other businesses. Now it’s time for me to play and now have the little shop!”
“The twins worked at a coffee shop prior to opening. Instead of just throwing up another coffee shop I said, ‘Let’s just take our time on what this means.” They began watching the marketplace to see where limitations are. Reached out to neighboring businesses and residence of close proximity to see how they can meet their needs.
Melissa came up with the idea of putting it in a box with a focus on serving brunch type foods that you can’t find anywhere else in St. Augustine. Boxed up conveniency for tourists, while locals will appreciate delivery, and a place that fill voids by offering many different appetite and dietary needs. And then there’s preferences if you’re vegetarian or not vegetarian. You can get gluten-free to Keto-friendly items at a place where you can walk in and talk to the owner about what you’d like to eat.
“There’s not a lot of places that can master the palette from one extreme to the other. You gotta go to places that kinda specializes in this-or-that,” said Melissa. “These girls got it down!”
Along with incorporating everything their family is really passionate about, Sophia confirms their belief that supporting each other is better than trying to compete. “We’re cross collaborating with other local businesses. If we’re not cooking it, it’s a local vendor. Even down to the sauces we are all about local flavors.” They credit their very supportive parents for getting the Brunch Bar open.
“We have free, open Wi-Fi for college students. We even have a printer that’s no charge. When you have four kids in college you understand how you can support them,” said Melissa. “They’ll be times when we’ll have an open brunch buffet. You can get a ticket and come in to have the actual brunch. We’re selling picnic baskets and picnic blankets you can take your brunch to the plaza or a park. You’ll be able to take the brunch wherever you go.”
Inside the Ancient City Brunch Bar is that inviting aromatic coffee shop atmosphere. Work of local artists hangs on the walls. Emily whips up her own secret recipe vanilla latte, with cold foam. She says, “It’s a little richer than other coffee houses.” She also makes a pretty mean ginger snap. More like a gingerbread cookie, really soft, It’s a huge gingerbread cookie with a nice little crackle to it. Take your bruncuterie out to a café table to watch the flow of passersby along the backdrop of wondrous of historic architecture. To see and hear a carriage horse clopping down the brick street always stirs up a wave and a smile.
It’s innovative thinking, outside the box-in the box!
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