The Roanoker November/December 2022 - 61

Nate Sloan (left) and
Quincy Randolph
opened Crème Fresh,
a non-dairy ice cream
shop, in 2021.
They also allowed people to taste test the
products before opening Crème Fresh to the
public.
" We just kind of trusted our chef instincts, "
says Randolph, who moved to Roanoke from
Chicago, where he had worked as a chef at
a fine dining establishment. He moved to
Roanoke to open Roasters Next Door with
his brother.
There are seven ice cream flavors and two
sorbets on the menu at Crème Fresh, and the
offerings change often, at times based on the
season. A chocolate flavor, such as chocolate
brownie or dark chocolate coffee (made from
RND coffee), always is on the menu.
Randolph, who appeared in a Food Network
cooking competition in September, handles
much of the shop's day-to-day work, while
Sloan works behind the scenes.
For both entrepreneurs, it's been a challenge
to balance operating multiple restaurant concepts.
RND opened a Vinton location in 2021.
" We are both learning what it's like to be
business owners with multiple brands and
identities under our belts, " Randolph says. " We
want to continue to adapt and serve the people
of the Wasena community and become a fantastic
neighborhood coffee shop first. "
Bringing back
Main Street
The classic downtown main street scene, with
soda fountains and old fashioned drugstores,
has not lost its allure, at least not for Tom and
Michelle Raub.
TheRoanoker.com
In fact, the couple's ice cream, candy and
gift shop enterprise is built on this theme.
The Raubs opened Sugar Magnolia last year
in Roanoke at Townside Festival Shopping
Center on Franklin Road.
White-and-green striped window and door
awnings adorn the outside of the shop, giving it
an old-fashioned look. Inside the wide shop, it
is the same aura, with green-and-white striped
walls and a long candy and ice cream counter,
along with gifts and knickknack displays scattered
strategically around the store.
" It's small town America in the '50s, " says
Tom Raub, who grew up in Bluefield, West
Virginia. " The general store and the soda
fountain was the center of the universe for
that town. "
The Raubs first opened Sugar Magnolia
in downtown Blacksburg after moving there
from South Carolina to be closer to Tom's
family in Bluefield. Initially, they opened a gift
shop, called T.R. Collection on Main Street in
Blacksburg.
But they decided to expand into the ice
cream business when Downtown Blacksburg
Inc. merchants' association conducted focus
groups to ask residents about the kinds of retail
establishments they wanted in downtown. Ice
cream was number one on the list, across all
age groups, says Raub.
The Raubs initially operated both the ice
cream and gift shop in Blacksburg, but they
merged them together in 2020.
They started the business selling Homestead
Creamery ice cream, but after some supplier
difficulties during the pandemic, the Raubs
switched to the Ashby's Sterling brand. It's a
ABOVE: Ice cream flights are
popular at Sugar Magnolia.
BELOW: A cute customer
enjoys their Sugar Magnolia
ice cream cone.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 61
COURTESY OF CREME FRESH / COURTESY OF SUGAR MAGNOLIA
http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker November/December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker November/December 2022

The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Cover1
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Cover2
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - 3
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - 4
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The Roanoker November/December 2022 - 50
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining1
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining2
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining3
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining4
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining5
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining6
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining7
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The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining11
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The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Dining13
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The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Cover3
The Roanoker November/December 2022 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-nov-dec-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_201403
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https://www.nxtbookmedia.com