62 | LUXlife Magazine Best Brunch Restaurant 2024 – Northeast Florida The history of charcuterie dates all the way back to the 15th century, though it has seen a revitalisation in recent years. Across social media, people are finding new and interesting ways to present their delicious dishes, delicately spread across a board in patterns almost too beautiful to eat. But nobody had the brilliant idea to merge charcuterie with one of our favourite times of the day – brunch. Until now, that is. Here, we delve into the story behind Ancient City Brunch Bar and the genius teenagers who coined the term ‘Brunchcuterie’. At the heart of downtown St. Augustine, Florida, sits local favourite Ancient City Brunch Bar. Home to the trademarked Brunchcuterie Board, this small café marked the beginning of an incredible journey for teenage twins Sophia and Emily Schroeder. Sophia and Emily have worked extremely hard to make Ancient City Brunch Bar into the hotspot that it is today. While there may be many eateries around the district, Ancient City Brunch Bar stands out from the competition with both its extensive, unique menu and its feel-good history. Originally looking to pass a class in school, the then-17-year-olds opened Ancient City Brunch Bar with the financial backing of their mother Melissa Schroeder. After that, they were on their own. Unperturbed, the twins swiftly learned to navigate the world of vendor selection, menu curation, and shop design. Combining their individual interests, the girls soon learned that they each had their own strengths to contribute to the building of their company. Sophia had an interest in digital media and communications and is now majoring in Public Relations at Florida State University. In fact, much of the designs across the company’s marketing were made by Sophia herself. Emily is also at Florida State University, majoring in Psychology. Her expertise came from her immense love for coffee. Emily enjoyed her barista work experience and continued to develop her interest. Now, she curates a seasonal menu of coffee flavours and loves to experiment with new ideas. The girls may have gone to university, but they travel back frequently to help at weekends and check in on the fruits of their labour. In the meantime, their mother Melissa oversees the business with help from the twins’ younger siblings. With space for just 25 covers, Ancient City Brunch Menu is a small but mighty brunch bar. The company holds its own amongst the various eateries of St. Augustine, which can be attributed to its high-quality menu choices and welcoming atmosphere. The brunch bar instils a sense of community into its patrons, who never leave with an empty stomach after building their own Brunchcuterie Boards. Ancient City Brunch Bar deploys a seasonally changing menu that highlights the fresh produce sourced from local vendors. Alongside its signature Brunchcuterie Boards, the brunch bar also offers a delicious range of hot and cold beverages, pastries, sandwiches and brunches. It runs weekly specials and caters to a variety of dietary requirements, so there truly is something for everyone. After such an impressive launch, it appears that Ancient City Brunch Bar are showing no signs of slowing down. In October of 2023, the company proudly launched its sister company Bourbon & Boards on King Street, a restaurant with a focus on bourbons, cocktails and live jazz. Bourbon & Boards operates under the same values as Ancient City Brunch Bar but is tailored to suit the night crowd of St. Augustine. That’s not all – the Schroeder family are developing a new Brunch Bar that will also be on King Street and is 3,000-sqft larger than the 500-sqft building that is presently being operated out of. Once complete, the current Brunch Bar will be moved to the new site and Ancient City Cooking Experience will move into the original site. Ancient City Cooking Experience will host various cooking demonstrations for members of the St. Augustine community. What started as a school project has evolved into a multi-site company that brings an authentic experience to its customers. From brunches, to bourbon, to bringing its community together, the Schroeder family are incredibly aware of their brand and how to navigate the sector. One thing is for sure, Sophia and Emily are entrepreneurial forces of nature, and we eagerly anticipate news of their next venture! Contact: Melissa Schroeder Company: Ancient City Brunch Bar Web Address: www.ancientcitybrunchbar.com www.facebook.com/ancientcitybrunchbar/
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