For centuries, ice cream has taken people to places of magical adventures — mysterious and fictitious places of joy — serving a luscious blend of colorfully creative concoctions that made young and old tipsy with delightful anticipation!
The story of ice cream stretches back thousands of years. Ancient civilizations used snow and ice to chill dairy-based treats, while China’s Tang Dynasty enjoyed early versions of iced milk. Europeans later refined frozen desserts into the custard-rich creations we recognize today. By the late 1700s, ice cream made its journey to America and our founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson famously served French-inspired ice cream after returning from Paris, while George Washington reportedly owned an ice cream maker at Mount Vernon, a luxury reserved for the elite.
Today, that tradition of innovation continues in the heart of historic St. Augustine, where Peace Pie World is reimagining the classic ice cream sandwich.
Walking into one of owner Maryrose LaCavera’s colorful ice cream emporiums feels like stepping into a world built entirely around happiness! Peace Pie World has been tempting customers to walk into her colorful ice cream emporiums, where bright murals and whimsical artwork splash across the walls while the aroma of freshly baked cookies fills the air. This summer season, there are two easy-to-find old city locations: the original Peace Pie World on brick-paved Aviles Street and the newly opened historic building on King Street.
At the center of the experience is the Peace Pie itself, a handcrafted frozen dessert that transforms the familiar ice cream sandwich into something extraordinary. Consider the favorite crowd-pleaser Grandmother Gladys’ Twice-Baked Blueberry Peace Pie (a generous serving of premiere vanilla ice cream and gooey fresh blueberry pie filling) happily pressed inside a graham cracker cookie crust.
Today’s restaurant menus have introduced a new category of eating — the “hand-held.” How appropriate that Peace Pies fall into this category with no brakes on creativity. At Peace Pie World, it’s easy to understand sweet gastronomy, a heavenly jumbo sandwich that combines two ingredients of ice cream and pie filling excellence: presentation and technique.
With an avalanche of featured articles that have attracted national attention since the creative beginnings of Peace Pie World by her father Jerry Klause in 2010, food lovers have fallen in love with the inventive flavor combinations. BuzzFeed named Peace Pie “one of the best ice cream sandwiches in America,” while Oprah’s famous “O List” highlighted the brand’s irresistible creations, noting flavors such as Boston cream, pecan pie, key lime and cookies & cream!
Like many great inventions, Peace Pie was born from an accident. Klause found himself in charge of their family Thanksgiving pecan pie dessert. He prepared the pie filling but forgot the pie crust. Thinking quickly about how to save the planned “pie ala mode,” Klause baked two huge shortbread cookies and layered ice cream and pecan pie filling between the cookies. The Thanksgiving feast was saved! Being a serial entrepreneur, it took four years of meticulous development before opening his first Peace Pie World in Cape May, New Jersey, on Memorial Day 2015
When the brand expanded 700 miles south to St. Augustine, LaCavera brought her own creative artistry into the business. She transformed Peace Pie World into an extension of the local arts community. Artists have celebrated and preserved St. Augustine’s unique personality through their cultural spirit that dates back centuries. Peace Pie World embraces the creative soul of St. Augustine on its whimsical mural-covered walls — all hand-designed by LaCavera!
One bite is all it takes to understand why ice cream continues to be one of our nation’s sweetest obsessions! As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s fun to imagine the delegates of 1776 taking a break from the summer heat with a frozen treat. Ice cream has never stopped evolving through many eras, from waffle cones in 1904 to Popsicles in 1923. This Fourth of July, as families gather for fireworks, summer celebrations and backyard barbecues, Peace Pie World offers a twist on a timeless American tradition.
