“Who can say they ate dessert while playing and having smoke come out of their mouth afterward?”
Anyone who’s stopped into owner Jonathan Andujar’s Snobachi Handcrafted Ice Cream — that’s for sure.
The Ybor City dessert shop, which celebrated its packed grand opening on New Year’s Eve, is serving up two unconventional sweets. One of them — ice cream rolls, or stir-fried ice cream — is a Thai street food that’s steadily growing in popularity around town and other destinations like New York and California, while the other — Dragon’s Breath — is a bit lesser-known.
Next-door neighbors with Shrimp & Co. at 2206 E. Seventh Ave., where Digital Hits Vape Shop previously operated, Snobachi’s mesmerizing dessert-making process is meant to be a show for people to enjoy and experience, according to Andujar. Before he launched the business, the U.S. Air Force vet and aspiring entrepreneur discovered both of the shop’s frozen creations in videos online and wanted to fuse them together into a one-of-a-kind concept for Tampa Bay.
“We were targeting Ybor from the get-go because we know the environment, how it is,” Andujar says. “We wanted to have something different and another spot where [people] can come and chill, relax, after they get out from the club or whatnot. We thought it was a perfect idea.”
As a family-run operation, Snobachi has two other co-founders — his wife Roxanne Andujar and mother Marilyn Nieves, who are also veterans — and, as Andujar tells it, his family’s no stranger to ice cream.
“A long time ago in Puerto Rico, we would sell these popsicles called limbers. We used to sell them when I was a little kid. So I’d go and try to get people to come and buy them. And then my cousin, he [also] owns some shops in Puerto Rico, just ice cream. So it’s always kinda been in the back of my head,” he says.
Order at the shop’s counter, wait for your name to be called and you’ll see where the “bachi” in Snobachi comes from. “Sno,” of course, is a nod to ice cream.
For its build-your-own ice cream rolls, which are called SnoRolls and start at $4.50, the shop adds a guest’s toppings — there are nearly 40, everything from avocado and bacon to Cinnamon Toast Crunch — onto a cold plate, followed by their flavor (think cheesecake and mango) and base cream (vanilla, non-fat/sugar-free or frozen yogurt). Then it’s time to chop, scrape, mix, spread and roll. A sauce (think strawberry and caramel) can be added directly to the mixture, on top or both, whatever a customer desires.
Cheesecake is one of Snobachi's most popular combinations, but whipping up any SnoRoll order is similar to hibachi in that it’s “like a little show.”
“It’s entertaining,” Andujar says. “And that’s what my idea was, but for ice cream.”
The same is true of the Dragon’s Breath. An eyecatcher in itself, a thick cloud of smoke emerges from the shop’s big tank of liquid nitrogen once it’s turned on. Snobachi then shoots liquid nitrogen into a bowl and uses toothpicks to dip cut-up pieces of snacks, including Swiss Rolls, brownie bites and Honey Buns, in the clear liquid, allowing the treats to flash-freeze for three to four seconds.
Once customers swirl one around in their mouths, it’s as if they’re breathing like a dragon.
“It’s cool to play with as well as tasty. You get to eat and play. And then if you’re still desiring more, you can get some ice cream as well,” he says.
The menu’s sweets selection will continue to grow, with additions like a flavor of the week, seasonal offerings and Dragon’s Breath popcorn and vanilla wafers. Andujar also plans to add video to his menu boards; that way, the shop’s process can visually explain itself to first-timers.
Featuring counter and two-top seating, the small Snobachi is dimly lit and accented with futuristic blue lighting, which was intentional. The shop’s “dark theme,” according to the owner, makes Dragon’s Breath orders really pop. There’s also a neon chalkboard wall toward the back where guests can write and doodle before they leave.
Snobachi operates noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. But if there’s a high enough demand, the shop is prepared to stay open later on weekends.
Does Andujar see ice cream rolls and Dragon’s Breath snacks becoming all the rage here?
“I believe the ice cream rolls — and customized ice cream in front of your face, especially — is gonna be the new thing. Before you had ice cream in a tub, and it could be two or three weeks old and you don’t know. This, you can see in front of your face, get whatever you want. You choose,” he says. “It’s being creative, having fun, being in the moment. Who can say they ate dessert while playing and having smoke come out of their mouth afterward?”
