This month we are excited to bring you a panel of RVA Women in Food. The women will discuss their very different day to day responsibilities, the ups and downs of working in local food/drink, and what it’s like to be a part of Richmond’s food and beverage scene. Moderated by Stephanie Ganz, a freelance writer and recipe developer, the panel features four exciting women leaders. We’ve partnered with CreativeMktGroup to extend our celebration of women in food with a second networking event on Tuesday, June 15th at The Savory Grain from 4:30-6:00 p.m. More details and tickets for that event can be found HERE.

RSVP HERE!

About our panelists:

• Stephanie Ganz -

  Stephanie’s work has appeared in publications such as Bon Appetit, Eater, BUST, The Kitchn, and The Local Palate. She is a regular contributor to Richmond Magazine and Virginia Living, and she contributes monthly food business articles to Performance Foodservice’s “Have a Taste” newsletter. After cooking professionally for years, Stephanie left the kitchen for a career in business development, eventually co-founding The Apple Cart, a business devoted to helping culinary entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, with Barb Lamb. Always a writer at heart, Stephanie left the business in 2019 to focus on writing full-time.

• America DeLoach, Owner - Salsas don Sebastian

  America is the owner of Salsas Don Sebastian a small batch, authentic Mexican salsa and dips producer founded in 2017. The business was launched based on the inspiration of her husband’s family recipes which date back to the early 1900’s and originated in Nayarit, Mexico. The company and brand provides top quality, fresh salsas and dips to thousands of people here in Central Virginia. The product line consists of red salsas, salsa verde, pico de gallo, savory dips and chimichurri. From the procurement of materials to the manufacturing process, and onto the delivery of the product, it is all carefully crafted to deliver the highest quality possible. America’s products are sold at farmers markets and in selected retail stores in the Richmond area, Ashland, Georgetown DC, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.​

• Rabia Kamara, Co-Owner - Ruby Scoops

  Born in Virginia and raised in Maryland, food has always been near and dear to Rabia’s heart. The women in her family, from young to old, huddled in the kitchen producing food that tasted and smelled so good, made her endlessly curious about cooking. At the age of nine, she received her first cookbook, told her mother she wanted to be a chef, make desserts for people, and eventually own her own shop. Rabia attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she started cooking regularly for friends and befriending staff at her favorite restaurants. After graduating in 2010 with a degree in marketing, she pursued culinary arts at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 2012. She honed her culinary skills in restaurants throughout the D.C. and Maryland area. The idea for Ruby Scoops was born from her joy of making ice cream and sorbet and watching others enjoy it. Ruby Scoops went from an idea at the end of 2014 to an actual entity that opened in Washington, D.C. in 2015, fulfilling a long awaited dream. She returned to Richmond early last year and opened her first shop on Brookland Park Blvd. in the winter of 2020.

• Coley Drinkwater, Co-Owner of Richlands Dairy & Co-owner and Managing Member of Richlands Creamery

  After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Human Nutrition Food & Exercise, Coley spent almost a year traveling around the world before returning home to the farm. Broke, but full of life experience, Coley used her time on the farm to decide if Dairy Farming was her next adventure in life or if its challenges would nudge her towards Grad School. Her strong work ethic, adaptability and love of agriculture quickly made her an invaluable asset to the farm in her roles as Herd Manager, Field Hand and Agritourism Director. In 2018, Coley left her position at Richlands Dairy in order to establish and manage the newly formed Richlands Creamery. Drawing on her experiences as a Dairy Farmer and Entrepreneur, Coley advocates for agriculture through her involvement in Farm Bureau where she currently serves as County Vice-President and Member of the AgPac Committee. In 2020, she was also appointed by the Governor to serve on the Virginia Tobacco Commission Committee. When she isn’t busy building a business or advocating for Agriculture, she enjoys spending time with her 3 year old daughter and husband.

• Christophile Konstas, Co-Owner - Perk! Coffee and Lunchbox

  After working for four years in forensic photography, Christophile went back to grad school in 2004 to study documentary filmmaking. Having grown up in a Greek family, with both parents in the food business, she recognized the intrinsic connection between food and culture and desired to tell those stories in her filmmaking. After moving back to Richmond in 2009, she collaborated with Nicole Lang to make Pimento Cheese, Please! Their first production for their soon to be formed company, Pared Pictures. In 2015 she opened Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox in Bon Air, a coffee shop that features locally roasted coffee and products and scratch made pastries. Soon after she co-founded the Over the River Maker’s Mart and has been organizing and hosting makers markets highlighting local makers and food vendors bi-annually ever since. She lives with her husband and two sons on the southside of the river.

  We’ll taste samples from Bugle Call Coffee and Favour Cookie Co. Thanks to Blue Bee Cider for hosting this meeting!