By day, she’s a scientist.
By night, she’s an entrepreneur, cycling around town with a freezer full of ice cream sandwiches.
“I always knew I wanted something on the side,” said Katie Krasnoff, who works full-time as a scientist in Watertown. “I love baking; I love being outdoors. I didn’t want to find a side thing where I’m stuck on the computer all the time.”
Krasnoff, 27, said she buys the ice cream from Arts Creamery on Trapelo Road and assembles and packages the ice cream sandwiches in the kitchen there. With just a residential kitchen permit, she’s unable to handle ice cream at home because it requires a temperature-controlled environment.
The cookies, however, are her own creation.
“When I got the idea for this, I was like, I need to make a good cookie,” she recalled. “It was so much trial and error. It’s not like I’ve been making cookies for years… I just had this idea and wanted to make it work.”
After about three months of experimenting with several different recipes, Krasnoff felt confident she was ready to put them to the test. She acknowledged that baking is a science of its own.
“I think that’s why I love it so much,” she said.
Krasnoff was first inspired to start her own ice cream bike business after seeing a similar one online. She did some research, bought herself a bike, and began to do what she needed to in order to get the business off the ground. In the hilly town of Belmont, she joked that she sometimes regrets the decision to choose the regular bike over the e-bike.
“But it’s a great workout,” she said.
The Ice Cream Bike offers a rotation of cookies, with chocolate chip cookie sandwiches as Krasnoff’s classic option. Gluten-free options are available, and she’s working on vegan options.
Krasnoff even offers a treat for the town’s four-legged friends.
In recent weeks, she’s set up shop – usually after 5 p.m. – at Beaver Brook Splash Park, the Underwood Pool, and Pequossette Park. For now, she’s remaining in the Belmont area but has hopes to expand one day into neighboring towns.
Because she doesn’t have a set schedule at the moment, Krasnoff said that for updates on her whereabouts, follow her Instagram page (@TheIceCreamBike_). She plans to attend as many weekly summer events as possible, such as the Payson Park Summer Music Festival, which is located this year on the green above the pool on Underwood Hill. Concerts take place weekly on Wednesdays. The Ice Cream Bike is also available for weddings, parties, corporate events, and other gatherings.
“People have been great,” Krasnoff said. “I’ve had such a positive response to this.”
