Jeremiah's Italian Ice to take over former Kahwa Coffee in west St. Pete
/Orlando-based Jeremiah’s Italian Ice will soon be scooping up its iconic frozen treats in St. Petersburg.
Jeremiah’s will be located at 4850 Park Street North, formerly home to Kahwa Coffee, in west St. Pete, according to the company’s website. The new shop will be situated just north of Tyrone Boulevard in a shopping center anchored by Kohl’s, Ross, and Total Wine.
The 1,800-square-foot St. Pete outpost will be owned by local franchisee Shawn Shbib, who opened his first Jeremiah’s three years ago at 13100 Seminole Boulevard Suite 103 in Largo. In addition to St. Pete, Shbib is also planning a Clearwater location at 541 S Ft. Harrison Avenue.
"The best franchise to own is one that you're passionate about. What drew me to Jeremiah's was the culture and business model,” said Schbib in a Facebook post in 2020. “Enjoy what you do and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Live life to the coolest!”
Jeremiah’s offers over 40 flavors of Italian ice along with chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream. But the magic is in Jeremiah’s Gelati, which features layers of Italian ice swirled with homemade soft ice cream.
One of the more popular menu items is the Strawberry Shortcake Gelati, which contains Cake Batter and Strawberry Italian ice layered with vanilla soft serve ice cream and cookie butter crumbles. The Frosted Animal Cracker Gelati is also a favorite with Cookie Butter and Cotton Candy Italian ice layered with vanilla soft serve ice cream and rainbow sprinkles.
The first Jeremiah’s debuted in Winter Park in 1996. Over the next 20 years, the brand would become a Central Florida staple, opening outposts in Maitland, Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Longwood, Windermere, and Oviedo. In 2019, Jeremiah’s started franchising and now boasts over 125 locations in more than 10 states with more on the way.
St. Pete franchisee Shawn Schbib was first introduced to Jeremiah's by his son, Johnathan, and since that first bite, he's become a passionate fan who was eager to join the brand. His favorite flavor is Red Raspberry and Vanilla Gelati.
An opening date has not been set for Jeremiah’s St. Pete location.