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Eating Dessert for Breakfast at Brewer’s Waffles

Brea Hill | September 3, 2019

Topics: Ajay Brewer, black business, black owned business, black restaurants, Blackwell, Brewer's Cafe, brewers waffles, food, James Harris, josh reed, local food, manchester, the well, waffles

The folks behind Brewer’s cafe are serving up something sweet in their hometown Richmond neighborhood.

The sweeter things in life belong together, and sometimes that means having your breakfast with your dessert. 

Brewer’s Waffles, the latest addition to Manchester, is serving up homemade waffles and milkshakes from the people who brought you Brewer’s Cafe. Ajay Brewer teamed up with a high school friend, James Harris, and chef Josh Reed to bring this black-owned business to life. A native to the neighborhood, Brewer and the team knew Manchester — or as they know it, Blackwell — was the perfect place to open the restaurant this summer. 

“We wanted to cater to the area where we’re from, and what we know,” Harris said. 

Within the community of Blackwell, and throughout Richmond, the team behind Brewer’s Waffles wants to uplift the black community in all that they do. They do this by connecting with the local community in many different ways. For example, attached to Brewer’s Waffles is The Well, an art gallery featuring pieces that highlight black artists in the Richmond area. Currently, the art along the walls was created by Justice Dwight. 

“Manchester was Blackwell when we grew up, so we wanted to bring back what was already instilled in the community and keep it as traditional spots,” Harris said. “So that’s why this is The Well.”

Photo by Brea Hill

“The name of the art gallery is The Well, and that’s the name of the neighborhood — Blackwell,” Brewer added. “The experience over here is just as important as over there. A lot of people aren’t aware that there’s something like this in their neighborhood, so getting the point across — that we stand out like a sore thumb, that we are creative, with the art gallery delivering both great art and waffles — that needs to be highlighted.” 

The genius behind the menu, Chef Reed, met Brewer four years ago. Brewer knew back then that if he ever created a business like this, the well-respected Reed, who had worked in the kitchen at Max’s On Broad and helped manage Lunch and Supper, had to be a part of it.  

“He really came up with an unbelievable menu for us,” Brewer said. 

At Brewer’s Waffles, the names of the menu items pay tribute to various Richmond public schools. 

“We grew up going to the schools here,” Brewer said. “We originally thought about doing streets over here, but after researching some of those people, I just wasn’t comfortable, so we thought about school names.” 

Photo courtesy Brewer’s Waffles

Brewer’s girlfriend went to work researching Richmond Public Schools, and came up with six people whose names currently grace schools in Richmond. They weren’t all black, all white, all rich, or all poor, but they were all good people that had made the school system better. Wanting to pay homage to them, Brewer named menu items after the various schools. 

“The common theme you’ll hear from all of us is that it’s not just about us; it’s the folks that are around us, helping build this business,” Brewer said. “The realization of business is that you can do cool shit all the time, and people love to see cool stuff. Anytime you can come across as authentic is always great.” 

“My hat goes off to these two for making me think outside of myself,” Reed said. 

With their breakfast-dessert infusions, the owners call Brewer’s Waffles the “treat shop.” Despite his longtime love for waffles, Reed had always worked on the more savory side of things. Creating for the new menu was a bit of a challenge, but he soon warmed to it.

“It all made sense once I realized that it had to be more geared towards desserts,” Reed said. “You know, breakfast desserts — so I went back to childhood, and all the little things that I liked.” 

The strawberry streusel waffle, “The Holton,” was inspired by his childhood love for strawberry shortcake ice cream; the banana and Nutella waffle, “The Carver,” is almost like a peanut butter and banana sandwich. “The Blackwell” is more like a parfait, built upon layers of yogurt, then fruit and granola. Brewer’s Waffles also has savory options, like “The Overby,” a bacon egg and cheese waffle, and “The Henderson,” a biscuits and gravy waffle. 

Photo by Brewer’s Waffles

Compared with competitors like Capitol Waffle Shop, Reed’s homemade waffles stand out in part due to his detail-oriented approach. Rather than the traditional pre-made “just add water” powdered batter mix, Reed uses pearled sugar and egg whites to get a lighter, fluffier texture to his waffles. 

“It takes a little longer to make our waffles, but it’s the way they’re supposed to be made, and it shows,” Reed said. “It’s just what I wanted. Everyone does the traditional round Belgian waffles in the city, so why not change it up and make it my own?” 

Reed prides himself on what he calls the “Black Waffle,” which he considers distinct from the Belgian origins of the dish.

“You can change a recipe by simply changing a teaspoon of something,” Reed said. “Once I started tweaking things into something of my own, it’s no longer the Belgians’. We can create anything we want; I’m not giving credit to other people.” 

So why did the owners choose to pair their waffles with milkshakes? The answer is simple: because of Brewer’s son, Parker. 

“He likes milkshakes, and I wouldn’t make anything he doesn’t like,” Brewer said. 

Photo by Brea Hill

Parker is four years old, and already he’s the owner of multiple businesses… candy stands, in particular. Brewer and Parker work as a father-son duo. In fact, earlier this summer, the duo even biked 53 miles, from Jamestown to Blackwell, as a fundraiser for the Blackwell Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Their journey raised close to four thousand dollars for the program. 

“Every time I have an opportunity to do something, I make sure he does, too,” Brewer said. 

On the horizon for Brewer’s Waffles could be a bar featuring alcohol-infused milkshakes. A food truck is also in the works. Catering services are coming soon, too — instead of ordering a dozen donuts for the office, you’ll be able to order mini-waffles.

Above all, Brewer wants this to be a place people are excited to visit, and it shows in his careful choices. Scoop RVA provides the ice cream for the milkshakes, with chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and even vegan options available. For the waffles, options include the traditional waffle batter base, a cornbread waffle, waffle cones, and a gluten-free vegan option to top off the list. Our recommendation: “The Holton” strawberry streusel waffle and the chocolate Snickers milkshake are to die for. They are both absolutely delicious! 

Photo by Brea Hill

Surrounded by eight other black-owned businesses on their block alone, Brewer’s Waffles, located at 1311 Hull St, are excited to be an active part of the neighborhood they grew up in — and to bring a little something sweet to their hometown. 

Top Photo courtesy Brewer’s Waffles

Where Will We Live When The Entire City’s Been Gentrified?

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 31, 2018

Topics: Blackwell, Brookland Park Boulevard, food deserts, gentrification, Manchester Historic District, median household income, Michael Hild, Safety Team Brewing, Savage Apparel, style weekly, The Dogtown Dish, Urban Capital Collaborative

Late last fall, my wife and I moved into our first house. We had gotten married a couple of months before and were really excited to get out of a tiny bedroom in a house full of roommates. We ended up renting a house in the Brookland Park neighborhood, just a bit north of the downtown area, and we really liked it. But almost as soon as we moved in, we started seeing ominous signs of gentrification creeping into our neighborhood.

You might think this is ironic — a white lady worrying about gentrification in the traditionally African-American neighborhood she’s moved into. And you’re right; there’s an extent to which my wife and I are part of the gentrification process. But I’m a trans woman married to another woman. Both of us have independent-contractor jobs that pay well below the city’s average per capita income. We live paycheck to paycheck, unable to establish a significant credit history.

All of these factors make it almost impossible for us to move into this city’s traditionally white neighborhoods, which are dominated by upwardly-mobile middle-class families with what people like to call “real jobs.” If we want to rent from a company that won’t screen us out during the application process, we have to rent from the same landlords that are willing to rent to working-class families of color. There really isn’t anywhere else we can afford to live.

But once the sort of younger middle-class white hipster types start seeing people like us — queer people, artists, and other cultural outsiders who thrive on lower income requirements  (and, it must be said, are predominantly white) — on the streets of a particular neighborhood, they start feeling safe there, when they wouldn’t necessarily have before. Soon, the young white entrepreneurs with college degrees and access to startup capital are making plans for the area.

That process is already underway in Brookland Park. Richmond BizSense recently reported on development groups who are in the process of building a brewery and a “business accelerator” on a two-block stretch of Brookland Park Boulevard, just west of North Avenue. Earlier this year, plans were revealed — again by BizSense — for a $14 million apartment complex at the other end of Brookland Park Boulevard, right next to the intersection known as Six Points.

It’s clear what motivates such projects. Developers are watching the massive boom taking place in Scott’s Addition, spurred mainly by condos and breweries. They want in. And while it may be too late to buy into Scott’s Addition, they’re looking for places where the land is still cheap. A working-class African-American neighborhood on Northside definitely fits the bill.

Here’s the problem: unlike Scott’s Addition a decade ago, Brookland Park is not empty. There are already black-owned businesses lining the dozen or so blocks of Brookland Park Boulevard between Griffin and Barton Avenues. The intersection of Brookland Park Boulevard and North Avenue is downright busy during daylight hours. Granted, not every storefront is occupied, but many are, and residents of the neighborhood can be seen frequenting them on a daily basis.

Regardless, property values are not high, and developers noticing the northward progress of VCU students and youthful post-graduates into the area are jumping at the chance to snatch up undervalued buildings and get the gentrification process started. At the moment, the getting is good — Safety Team Brewing and Urban Capital Collaborative got their parcels of land, and the buildings that sit on them, for $25,000 each.

Savage Apparel bought their previous location, at the corner of Brookland Park Boulevard and Hanes Avenue, for $105,000 in March 2017. Less than 18 months later, they decided to move two blocks up the street, and were able to sell their old building for $250,000 — a 238 percent value increase in under a year and a half. It seems buildings around here get more valuable if white-owned companies occupy them.

When property values take a jump because new businesses seeking a middle-class (and, again, predominantly white) clientele move into the neighborhood, it’s only a matter of time before the local residents can’t afford the rent anymore, and longtime area businesses are pushed out in favor of hip new establishments brought to you by the next wave of middle-class entrepreneurs.

This is a cycle we’ve seen in Richmond for years now — one that’s been chasing me from one neighborhood to another in pursuit of affordable rents for over a decade. A laundry list of Richmond neighborhoods — The Fan, Oregon Hill, Scott’s Addition, Church Hill, Manchester — have been gentrified out of my price range since the early 2000s. But it’s not even myself or my wife I worry about. We have cars, we can afford to commute to our jobs from more far-flung locales. What happens to Brookland Park residents who rely on public transit when they suddenly find themselves having to move significantly farther away from their jobs just to find affordable rent?

The working poor aren’t exactly at the forefront of most people’s minds when they think about the revitalization of lower-income neighborhoods in Richmond. And who can blame them? The majority of Richmond’s residents don’t have a ton of disposable income to throw around. According to the 2010 US census, median household income inside the city limits was around $38,000; neighboring Henrico and Chesterfield counties had median household incomes of $60,000 and $71,000, respectively. For businesses within the city, attracting those county-dwellers into town with fun, quirky places to spend an evening is the surest way to make businesses profitable.

That said, it seems the question of what actually will benefit those living within the Richmond city limits isn’t asked nearly often enough — and local press carries a share of the blame, too often taking an overly credulous attitude toward any announcement of urban redevelopment. Style Weekly’s recent Best Of Richmond issue gave an award for “Best Revivalist Couple” to hedge fund CEO Michael Hild and his wife, Laura Dyer Hild, citing their work as property owners in the quickly-gentrifying South Richmond neighborhood of Manchester.

Speaking of the responsibilities of local press, Hild is also the head writer for The Dogtown Dish, a local web publication that has non-coincidentally expressed very positive views about developments that would directly serve its creator’s economic interests. In addition to multiple glowing reports about businesses the Hilds are involved in, the site also reports about a “development boom” in Manchester, and pushes the Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority toward “developing the enormous swath of properties it holds in its portfolio.” Reports like this might read differently once you know who’s writing them.

Of course, one aspect of that work involved a push to extend the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District (and its corresponding tax credits for developers) into the Blackwell area, which borders Manchester to the west, and is still a lower-income neighborhood — one considered by The Reinvestment Fund to be a food desert. One of the Hilds’ plans to revitalize Blackwell was to reopen the long-shuttered Community Pride location between Bainbridge and Hull Streets. They didn’t announce plans for the building when they purchased it, but other buildings they’ve purchased in the area now host a brewpub and an upscale donut shop, so it seems unlikely that bringing an inexpensive neighborhood grocery store to a neighborhood in need of one was at the top of their list.

The Hilds’ future plans for development in the area may very well come to naught, though; a recent decision by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources, to delay considerations of expanding the Manchester Historic District into Blackwell until its potential impact on the community can be further studied, is a sign of progress. It shows that the voices of community residents and advocates are starting to reach powerful people who previously only had ears for developers. The Hilds responded to this decision by declaring that they would be aborting plans to invest $250 million into the area. This certainly isn’t the most positive result possible, but if that investment would ultimately have made Blackwell unaffordable for its residents, it’s hard to see it going away as an entirely bad thing.

From Blackwell to Brookland Park and beyond, the City of Richmond’s issues with gentrification need to be addressed. As a newly-married queer woman just trying to afford the rent, I don’t have any big ideas for solutions. But I know of a few questions that area developers — and those who watch over and report on their actions — should be asking. What happens to working-class residents when their neighborhoods are gentrified? Where do the minimum-wage workers that staff drugstores and fast-food joints go when they can’t afford to live within a ten-mile radius of their jobs?

Most importantly, what can those with power over Richmond’s future do to put those who actually live within the city limits first? Urban redevelopment is good, and it’s hard to have a problem with businesses moving into long-vacant buildings. But before we all thoughtlessly praise upscale businesses for capitalizing on tax credits and low property values, we need to consider how those who actually live in the area will be affected.

Photos by Sara Wheeler

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