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Here’s The Scoop

Noah Daboul | January 20, 2021

Topics: Bev's Homemade Ice Cream, Charm School, Rabia Kamara, Richmond Bakers Against Racism, Richmond ice cream shops, Ruby Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets, Scoop

Ruby Scoops is a new ice cream shop in Richmond. Owner Rabia Kamara prides herself in running the only Black and queer owned ice cream shop in the city and looks forward to being able to create fond memories and close relationships with her customers and community. 

“This brand is built on nostalgia and creating memories,” said Ruby Scoops owner and operator Rabia Kamara. “It was important to be somewhere we could form relationships with families and see kids grow up.”

Kamara has been operating her ice cream business, Ruby Scoops, since 2015, but has now, after relocating from Washington, D.C., opened her first brick and mortar store in Richmond, at 120 W. Brookland Park Blvd.  

“Richmond loves small business and Richmond loves Black business, and they’re very supportive. I’m glad to be here,” she said. “Part of me even getting into this industry was the way that I supported small Black businesses in Richmond.”

Originally hailing from Maryland, Kamara is one of seven first-generation American children. Since her childhood, she knew she wanted to cook for people, but said that her parents did not support her passion at the time. However, she says that they’ve since changed their minds.

“In college when I was able to explore myself and get to know myself, I reignited my passion for cooking and fell in love with feeding people again,” she said. “I think that had I not left Maryland to come to school in Richmond, then I would not have led myself to the career I have today.”

Photo by Noah Daboul

Kamara first fell in love with ice cream in culinary school. She saw it as a simple, blank slate that could incorporate whatever flavors she wanted, and felt that it gave her a new outlet of culinary artistry to accomplish things that she couldn’t do in baking or savory cooking. 

“Growing up as a first generation American, this allows me to introduce people to the flavors I grew up with in a more beginner kind of way,” she said. “It lets people try things they haven’t tried before, in a medium they’re used to.”

She traces some of her flavors back to growing up in an Egyptian and Mauritian household. Some of her signature flavors are dulce de leche and mango sorbet. Recently, she ran a rum coquito flavor that sold out within a week. Her signature coffee date flavor was inspired by her partner, Emmett, and his upbringing in the military.

Kamara finally made the decision to start an ice cream business after witnessing an altercation between two young girls one night.

“When I worked as a pastry chef at Republic in Tacoma Park… I was watching families order and eat the desserts that I made, and one family ordered ice cream,” she said. “One of the little girls got distracted; and while she wasn’t looking, the other sister stole her ice cream. It led to a massive sibling uproar and one of the daughters had to be taken to the car outside. It took me back to a space of experiencing that with my six older siblings, and I felt that I wanted to be able to create those kinds of memories for families and children in their own lives for years to come.”

Ruby Scoops faced many hurdles in opening, but was finally able to kick things off in late November. As the weather gets colder and a global pandemic still lingers on, it now seems like this wasn’t an ideal time to open. However, Kamara stays optimistic, and ultimately prefers to be open. She says that she’s had a lot of help from other ice cream shops in Richmond, who have let her run pop-ups and use their machines when hers were broken. 

“I wouldn’t change any of it for the world,” she said. 

Photo via Ruby Scoops/Facebook

Richmond’s ice cream shops have become a staple of the food scene in the city as places like Charm School, Bev’s, and Scoop have become favorites for Richmonders. Kamara prides herself in being able to open the first shop in Richmond that’s owned by a Black, queer woman, and that makes all of their ice cream in-house. She says that Richmond is the perfect place to do this, too. 

“[Being a female Black business owner] is a lot different than it was a few years ago; it’s come to light now that the [food] industry is super racist and super misogynistic. It’s wild to me that people are only just now realizing this, because I’ve been aware of it forever,” said Kamara. “A big thing for me is being unapologetically Black and unapologetically being the woman that I am…it’s important to me to be representative of myself and representative of the other Black kids who want to dance to the beat of their own drum.”

Kamara was also able to gain some notoriety (as well as some new friends) for her shop while participating with Richmond Bakers Against Racism, a coalition of bakers, chefs, and artisans who put on a city-wide bake sale to donate to charities and community organizations in Richmond neighborhoods. She says that people loved what she contributed to the boxes, and were excited for Ruby Scoops to open. 

“Through RBAR I was able to meet new people in Richmond who shared my passions. Also knowing there are people who don’t look like me but want people who do look like me to succeed is really nice,” she said. 

Photo by Noah Daboul

Kamara is excited for the future of Ruby Scoops. She’s keeping things small and slow for now with a limited menu and only operating on weekends, but says she’ll be testing out new menu items, new flavors, and building up hours.

“We want to be warm and welcoming, not only in personality but in the design of our interior, too. When the world makes sense, we want people to come in and hang out or have dates,” she said. “We took a lot of time to make this space how it is, and I want people to feel welcome.” 

Check for updates on hours and flavors by following Ruby Scoops on Facebook and Instagram.

Top Photo by Noah Daboul

Doing What They Do Best

Noah Daboul | August 13, 2020

Topics: Bakers Against Racism, black lives matter, Brenner Pass, Molly Reeder, Rabia Kamara, Richmond Bakers Against Racism, Ruby Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets

Richmond chefs and bakers have donned their aprons to bake goods, put on a massive bake sale, and put all funds towards Black Lives Matter and Richmond-based charities.

In the recent Black Lives Matter protests, people have shown a variety of different ways to exercise their political voices. Some shout and lead protests, while others speak more softly and paint signs. Some people donate thousands of dollars, while others can only afford to share little. Faced with the question of how they’d contribute, a group of Richmond chefs chose to stick to what they know well. 

Richmond Bakers Against Racism is a small chapter of the D.C.-based international organization Bakers Against Racism, founded by Paola Velez from D.C.’s Kith and Kin. These devoted bakers, chefs, and household amateurs bake desserts, breads, and pastries and sell them in a massive bake sale operation. All proceeds go to organizations in Richmond to help underserved majority black communities. 

Richmond Bakers Against Racism held their first bake sale online in June. Baked goods were available for preorder online for a week before the in-person pickup date of June 20. The funds raised went to the Jackson Ward Youth Peace Team, Richmond For All, the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton, Nolef Turns inc., and the Richmond Food Justice Alliance. All of these organizations focus on supporting and uplifting black communities in Richmond through their different missions. 

“We raised $8,000, which is awesome for just two weeks of planning,” said Olivia Wilson, co-owner and chef at Brenner Pass. “We could’ve done more, but we didn’t have the time or capacity.”

Wilson said that everyone involved in RBAR loves to bake, and was drawn to the opportunity to bake for good. She said she’d never seen something like this large-scale-bake-sale-for-good done before.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve thought of a bake sale in this way… it’s also very joyful,” she said. “And we all need a little bit of joy these days.”

Rabia Kamara of Ruby Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets made an oat milk chocolate pudding with a tahini streusel for the organization’s first bake sale. She was drawn to RBAR due to a desire to direct her love for baking toward positive causes.

“I wanted to be able to assist nonprofits in the area through things I’m passionate about,” she said.

Kamara said that RBAR is planning to hold their next bake sale on Halloween.

“I don’t have any recipes in the works right now,” she said, “but whatever we make will definitely be orange.”

Rabia Kamara. Photo via Bakers Against Racism/Facebook

By adding more bakers to their cause and having more time to plan, RBAR hopes to triple or even quadruple their output of pastries and in turn, the profits they raise, according to Kamara. 

Flan de Sal, apricot kolache, and many other beautiful pastries will be available for the next bake sale. RBAR is also planning to add more pickup locations for the next bake sale; originally, Brenner Pass was the only pickup location. Kamara says that they hope to have pickup locations in the Fan, Carytown, Maymont, Jackson Ward, and others.

Pre-orders are handled online by emailing Richmond artist, food stylist, and former pastry chef Molly Reeder. The group is currently gearing up for their Halloween bake sale — keep an eye on their Instagram, @richmondbakersagainstracism, for details and pre-order information.

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