After moving to the area and making note of the local bakeries, Brittany Williams realized there was something missing: beignets. The pastry chef, with roots in Mississippi and Louisiana, noticed that even though the dessert was offered sporadically, she wanted people to have more access to them and see if they would like her recipe.

Williams purchased a food truck November 2019 and, after a delayed opening as a result of the pandemic, Cafe Beignet RVA officially went into business in January. The response has been overwhelming but rewarding and Williams is happy people love her beignets.

“I realize there was kind of a demand for it in the area so I said ‘Lemme do beignets and lattes and see how that goes’ and people have been so receptive and supportive,” Williams said.

Cafe Beignet RVA offers traditional and specialty (lemon pound cake, strawberry shortcake and honey bun) beignets and assorted beverages. For customers new to beignets, Williams recommends the traditional.

Williams has always been passionate about baking and started assisting in the kitchen when she was a child. Whenever she wanted to bake something, her mother would buy the ingredients and supervise her in the kitchen, and after expressing a desire to bake a cake for her brother, the spark was lit for Williams.

“I [just] remember the joy I had baking that cake and seeing my brother be like ‘Oh my goodness’ so from that moment on, I was just always baking, always cooking something,” Williams said.

By 19, she was baking biscotti and cupcakes and eventually attended culinary school. After graduating, Williams hoped to open her own bakery but didn’t think it would happen. She had student loans and bills, and was trying to figure out life but didn’t stress herself about it too much until everything started to align in her life and became a possibility.

“I was like ‘You know what, I’m gonna take the chance’, I’m taking the chance on myself and see if I can make it happen,” Williams said, “and if it doesn’t work out at least I can say I tried but if it does, it’d be even better and it just took off.”

During the pandemic, Williams used the time to perfect her beignet recipe to her family’s liking and said she was thankful baking kept her focused. After opening, she initially worked weekends for the first four months but has since quit her last job in order to operate Cafe Beignet RVA full-time. 

“It’s just been so overwhelming, I just couldn’t have had imagined that I’d get this much support especially early on and especially since I was open one day a week starting off but that first day, my grand opening,” Williams said, “I had a few people but it wasn’t a lot, but that next Saturday, there was a line of people waiting for me to open and I was just like ‘Wow people are really liking the beignets and coming out so it still feels surreal to this day, whenever I see a line, I’m just like ‘I can’t believe these people are really here for my beignets’, it’s crazy.”

Williams said her former coworkers have tried her beignets and love it, and a few of them are regulars. She is currently in the process of looking at brick and mortar locations and she hopes to have Cafe Beignet RVA in each city. Once she’s settled, Williams’ goal is to have cajun restaurants so customers can enjoy red beans and rice, jambalaya and gumbo in addition to beignets and coffee. 

Williams expressed interest in hosting baking classes once she’s found a location and offered advice to new bakers.

“When I first started out I was really big on cakes and things like that, so I had to perfect how to get my cakes iced perfectly and my cupcakes and everything, [so] it just takes time, be patient with yourself and really hone in whatever niche you feel is where you’re at,” Williams said, “because I went through different facets of baking … but then I realized I’m more of a pastry … baker, so I started baking breads and things like that, and that’s where I kind of found like ‘Okay this is my groove right here.”

Cafe Beignet RVA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, official website.