Owner Arley Arrington of Arley Cakes is participating in the Richmond Bakers Against Racism initiative. (Photo courtesy Arley Cakes)
As people around the globe protest racial injustice and police brutality, home bakers and members of the Richmond dining community are contributing to the cause from their kitchens. On June 20, more than a dozen area bakers will participate in Bakers Against Racism, a nationwide bake sale to benefit organizations fighting for racial equality and support the Black Lives Matter movement.
“This is a way to give back with their skill set, and folks are excited there’s some way they can help during this time,” says Olivia Wilson, co-owner of Brenner Pass and former Chairlift pastry chef. “There hasn’t ever been a space for us [bakers] to come together, and to come together and do something for our community."
Wilson believes this is an opportunity for bakers to use their platforms and love of baking to evoke positive change. Since moving to Richmond six years ago, Wilson says, she has been searching for ways to unite local bakers. Earlier this week she found it.
Last week, James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year semifinalist Paola Valez of Washington, D.C.'s Kith & Kin — who has cooked in Richmond during the annual Fire, Flour & Fork event — posted an open call to bakers to "fight and stand up against the unjust treatment of BLACK people in the United States." The post continued, "We are armed to fight racism with the tools we know how to utilize, our FOOD." Valez teamed up with fellow D.C. chef Willa Pelini of Emilie’s to launch the program.
Wilson reached out to her friend Molly Reeder, a local artist and food stylist, to start Richmond Bakers Against Racism (RBAR). A former pastry chef, Reeder says the restaurant industry needs to give people of color a louder voice, and we all need to be better listeners and pay closer attention.
“I hope that those people who decide to buy a box of pastries from us can see how easy it is to take a skill that you have and transform it into a tool to help others, in a very quick and actionable way,” she says.
The boxes for purchase during the bake sale will feature an assortment of a dozen sweet and savory baked goods, priced at a suggested minimum donation of $20. Sourdough olive focaccia, Japanese cheesecake with plum compote and salted rye chocolate-chip cookies are all on the menu, with preorder sales kicking off June 15-16 for pickup at Brenner Pass on June 20.
Participating bakers include Ashley Patino of the forthcoming Pizza Bones, Arley Arrington of Arley Cakes, Ben Lee of Sub Rosa Bakery, Paul Winston of Stoplight Gelato Cafe, Laine Myers of Nota Bene, Beth Oristian of Sugar & Twine, Jay Metzler of Idle Hands Bread Company and Amanda Sanders of Alewife.
Worldwide, over 1,000 bakers from Chicago to Los Angeles and as far away as New Zealand and India have joined the cause.
Proceeds from the Richmond bake sale will be shared among a variety of local grassroots organizations fighting for issues that directly relate to the black community, from reducing recidivism to introducing healthy foods into lower-income neighborhoods. RBAR will distribute funds to Richmond for All, the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton, Nolef Turns Inc., the Richmond Food Justice Alliance and the Richmond Peace Team.
“We all want to do good by our community, and this [pandemic] has afforded people the time to open that space up,” says Wilson.
When asked if during her decade-long career she has witnessed a lack of chefs and bakers of color, Wilson replies without hesitation, “One hundred percent." She continues, "It’s something I’ve been thinking about and have thought about. Fine dining especially is rampant with sexism and racism, and no one has ever addressed it. We're lacking leaders in the industry, still, during this time … and the silence is deafening.”
Moving forward, Wilson says the bake sale isn’t only an opportunity to support the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s an opportunity for restaurants and small businesses in the industry to do some self-reflection.
“It’s not just about having a diverse staff, but having black voices who are in charge and setting the tone for the business,” says Wilson, an active volunteer with the Jackson Ward Youth Peace Team. “I think it’s a really wonderful time to stew on that and ask what it’s going to look like and how can we change so [restaurants] don’t just continue with all the mistakes we’ve been making for so long.”
Looking forward, RBAR would like to establish workshops for communities of color, connect black youth with apprenticeship opportunities and raise more funds for local grassroots organizations.
“I hope that this is the beginning of a collaborative network of bakers here in Richmond that will continue to come together with our passion for baking, and use it as a force for fighting racism and nurturing our community,” Reeder says.
