Welcome to Volume II of Urban Safari’s exclusive Industry Interviews! Today I’m chatting with Joshua, an Ice Cream Sandwich Enthusiast (isn’t that the best job title ever?) from Peteybird Ice Cream Sandwiches, which is an awesome Denver company that sells ridiculously adorable and delectable ice cream sandwiches. I am so thrilled to have met Joshua at a networking event this past winter. He is so full of life, upbeat and he works for a wonderful company. I got to taste-test some of the ice cream sandwiches for this interview and I must say: de-lish. I can’t wait for the summer time to roll around so I can chomp down on more of these awesome little treats!
Urban Safari: Other than the obvious reason of “duh”, why Peteybird? Why ice cream sandwiches, especially in a cupcake-dominated industry?
Joshua: For Pete [owner and founder of Peteybird], it’s always been that you get two desserts in one. You’ve got the cookies, you’ve got the ice cream, and therefore, you’ve got the sandwich. Who doesn’t love two desserts in one? For me, I like it because as an adventurous eater, there are so many sandwich combinations and you have so many different options. You have so many ice cream flavors, and you can put them together to create this unique new thing. It also doesn’t hurt that our sandwiches are bite-sized, so you can try a few different flavors in one sitting. I love that you can have them whenever: they can be a dessert, they can be a snack, and what’s best is that they provide that nostalgic feeling when you bite into one, no matter when you’re eating it.
Urban Safari: How did Peteybird get started?
Joshua: Pete has always been an ice cream sandwich enthusiast who, being dissatisfied with the quality of ice cream sandwich options out there, spent a few years perfecting his cookie recipes and his ice cream recipes, and so in 2012, Peteybird was born.
Urban Safari: What are your favorite flavors?
Joshua: My two favorite flavors are our graham cracker + Key lime ice cream sandwich and our hazelnut brownie cookie with salted caramel ice cream. For our Key lime ice cream, we use real Key limes, which are super hard to find and we make the ice cream from scratch. For the salted caramel ice cream, we go old-fashioned and make the caramel ourselves to add to the custard to create the finished product. Everything is handmade from scratch at Peteybird.
Urban Safari: Peteybird has two pretty sweet custom-made bikes (from local designer Shane Evans) that you take out when the weather’s nice and sell ice cream sandwiches around Denver. Do you ever get to ride the bike?
Joshua: I do get to ride the bike around! We actually have two bikes currently, a small guy and a big guy, and we can take them both out for events + weddings. We take them out on River North brewery tours, where we stop at all the breweries on the weekends in the summer. We pull up on the old-school bike, ring the bell and people come to us and love that homemade, back-in-the-day feel of ice cream sandwiches. It’s not just having an ice cream sandwich — it’s the whole package, the presentation, the overall feeling.
Urban Safari: Have you catered a wedding yet with these amazing bites of paradise?
Joshua: Yes, we have! The very first event that Peteybird did was a wedding. Before Peteybird existed, one of Pete’s friends asked him to make ice cream sandwiches for his wedding, and since they were a huge hit at the wedding, Pete decided to create the business. We catered six weddings in our first year out and we have several on the books for 2014. We’re always looking to meet new brides and grooms and to see how Peteybird can add that something special to your wedding day.
Urban Safari: What one piece of advice do you have for brides and grooms out there when it comes to wedding desserts?
Joshua: It’s your wedding. You only get one shot. Be unique! Be original! Be creative! And as I said before, why choose only one dessert for your guests when you can have two?
More Industry Interviews from Urban Safari: Lotti Clothing // Knotty Tie Co. // MENTE Freelance Beauty Truope
