If you know me well, you know that I am basically in a serious relationship with ice cream. It’s my favorite dessert and once I was introduced to Boyer’s, a local Richmond favorite, I knew i would want to buy every pint in the store. So I decided to venture over and get the scoop (literally and figuratively).
I was lucky enough to sit down with Heather Headley, the Senior Manager, as well as Caleb Boyer, one of the four children who watched his family’s store grow into a popular Richmond hot spot.
The Background:
Mr. and Mrs. Boyer began their business eight years ago after deciding they wanted to make some extra money with flexible hours so they could try to retire early. This was in part because one of the four Boyer’s children has a severe health issue so they knew they needed to be at his side as much as possible.
When you walk into the store, you’re immediately greeted with huge lanterns, comfy seating and a counter with friendly employees awaiting you as you attempt to order (trust me its not easy). There is a huge menu with over thirty flavors of Gelati Celesti, including a variety of flavors from Palazzolos.
#SpoonTip: They serve Shyndigz desserts on certain days, as well as coffee from Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co., and bagels (just in case you needed another excuse to go).
The Keys to Success:
Heather told us that she decided she wanted to work somewhere that would make her excited to come in everyday- Boyers was that answer. “It’s something as simple as coffee and ice cream, people generally enjoy working here with each other and want to be apart of our team.”
Caleb and his family wanted their main focus to be on the customers who come in-
“What sets us apart is we have the opportunity to partner with different artisans, we could easily make our own ice cream but why compete when we could join them.”
He summed up what his families business is really all about and what they will continue to strive for in the years to come, hoping to provide people with the same warm and welcoming environment.
“It takes a whole village, but what drives us is our passion for people, and all of our staff carry that same attribute.
The Challenge:
If you’re looking to really get the true experience, Boyer’s has a super challenge that involves eating basically an entire POUND of ice cream. Personally, I think I would need to fast before in order to even attempt this but the wall pictured below is proof that there are those who conquered.
The Flavors:
During my hour spent in the store, I’m pretty sure I collected an embarrassing amount of sample spoons from trying each flavor.
Here are some of our recommendations-
If you’re looking for something fruity, I’d go with Coconut but my current favorite would have to be Just Ask. It’s a combination of Peanut Butter and Oreo in a vanilla base. Caleb’s staple is Vanilla Chip and his all time favorite is Mud Pie. Heather is a big fan of Chocolate Decadence or Pumpkin Gingersnap.
So if this hasn’t convinced you enough to go treat yo self, the only other thing I can say is that its a great way to to procrastinate and you’d be lying if you said you don’t do that.
#SpoonTip: There is a study room in the back of the store that’s not affiliated with Boyer’s so if you do need to study why not do it with some ice cream.