A Belleville barista launches a mobile coffee bar. Where to find it. What’s on the menu

You’ve heard of coffee to go. With The Spilt Milk Café, the coffee comes to you.

The Spilt Milk Café is a mobile coffee bar.

Owner and barista Phoebe Cuevas debuts her new business in the metro-east this month.

Folks will be able to find Cuevas and her cart at area farmers markets and other events, including pop-ups at different locations in the St. Louis and metro-east areas.

On March 16, folks can find her at Golden Gems, a boutique geared towards women, at 3108 Locust in St. Louis, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cuevas will also be at a grand opening event for Ethical Bodies and The Good-ish on Saturday, March 23. The event takes place at 2218 Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis.

As for other appearances, things are in the works, she said.

She’s also available for private events, such as weddings and other celebrations.

While a standard drink menu would be available, Cuevas can create customized menus for private events.

If a bride and groom want a signature drink, she’ll make it happen.

Cuevas is currently accepting bookings for The Spilt Milk Café. Folks can reach her through her socials at https://linktr.ee/thespiltmilkcafe.

What’s on the menu

Folks will find the usual coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos and americanos.

The Spilt Milk Café will also offer café de olla, described on the menu as “medium/dark roast coffee with hints of anise, orange and cinnamon” – served hot.

Cuevas’ americano is made with four(!) shots of espresso and hot water, served iced or hot.

Four shots. That’s a lot, even for this americano-lovin’ coffee drinker.

In addition, Cuevas will offer Mexican-inspired creations and drinks with alternative milks, including oat milk, almond milk, and a horchata she makes that works very well with certain drinks.

Customers can add a bit of flavor to their drinks with syrups: French vanilla, sugar free vanilla, salted caramel, Abuelita’s chocolate and tres leches.

Cuevas makes most of her own syrups and will offer different flavors on occasion.

As far as food offerings, Cuevas will start with pastries.

It’s not feasible to offer all café fare as far as food goes with the mobile coffee bar, according to Cuevas.

The coffee Cuevas uses is sourced from Living Millennially in southern Illinois.

Cuevas said it’s “super important to … keep things local” when possible.

Living Millennially coffee is roasted at The Roastery, the brick-and-mortar counterpart to The Pop-Up mobile coffee bar, both owned by Paige Hewett, who specializes in oat milk lattes.

The Roastery is in Maeystown at the former site of Around the Corner Coffee, which closed in August 2023.

Hewett has been “over-the-top supportive,” according to Cuevas.

Cuevas said she first met Hewett two years ago at a pride event. She noticed Hewett’s oat milk knuckle tattoo and knew then that they’d be friends.

In a separate interview, Hewett said when the potential collaboration between the two women came up, she felt it would be “really cool to be able to work with [Cuevas].”

Hewett got to talking with Cuevas and felt drawn to her. They bonded over a shared love of coffee and the fact they are both creators, said Hewett.

The day gig

If Cuevas looks familiar, it might be because you’ve seen her at downtown Belleville’s Joe & Onie’s – soon to be Justitia’s – where she works as the manager.

While her plans for The Spilt Milk Café may sound like it conflicts with her job at the downtown coffee shop, it’s not a problem.

Cuevas said that Joe & Onie’s owner Steve Hemmer is supportive of her new endeavor, and it’s working, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the downtown café’s day-to-day operations.

“I’m pretty excited for her,” Hemmer said in a separate interview.

He’s glad to help give Cuevas the opportunity to do additional things on her own and would never be the one to stand in the way of someone’s ambitions.

As the manager at Joe & Onie’s, Cuevas has done a great job and will stay on as manager for Justitia’s, Hemmer said.

Cuevas’ original plan was to start with a brick-and-mortar café.

However, that’s easier said than done. As her search for a place continues, she decided to start with a mobile coffee bar while the search continues.

If the cart works, she said, it will be an avenue to save for a future place.

She’ll also be able to scale up her business slowly without having to commit to a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily schedule right away.

For now, Cuevas’ commissary for The Spilt Milk Café is Joe & Onie’s/Justitia’s. There, she can store supplies, wash dishes and prepare everything she needs for her mobile coffee bar.

She’s good with the customers and knows how to make all of the drinks, Hemmer said. She has good ideas.

“I’m supporting her … I hope it all works out,” said Hemmer.

* * *

Cuevas is fairly new to Belleville, having moved from Soulard about 10 months ago.

Growing up, she was already making plans. “I was gonna be a ballerina or a barista,” she said.

Instead, she grew up to work in graphic design, specializing in 3-D animation.

After a couple of years in that field, she decided to pursue one of her childhood ambitions. She would be a barista.

She worked as a barista and café manager in St. Louis before coming to Belleville.

“I felt pretty immediately welcome” here in Belleville, said Cuevas.

Having moved around a lot growing up, she said that for the “first time I’m like, I kinda want to stay.”

* * *

Cuevas is currently scheduling pop-up appearances and booking events for The Spilt Milk Café. To schedule an event, contact Cuevas via email at thespiltmilkcafe@gmail.com.

A launch party is in the works for April, more info coming soon. To see where and when you can find The Spilt Milk Café, check out the socials at https://linktr.ee/thespiltmilkcafe.