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(From left) Stoplight Gelato Cafe Chef and General Manager Paul Winston with owners Mike Wilbert and Caitlin Kilcoin
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The interior of the cafe has remained virtually the same.
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Customers ordering gelato at the counter
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The interior of Stoplight Gelato Cafe is scattered with small two-top tables.
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Stoplight keeps it classic with its glassware and use of real spoons. Pictured are birthday cake and chocolate scoops.
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New additions to Stoplight Gelato Cafe are beer and wine.
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The walls of the space are adorned with photos of people enjoying gelato.
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The "Romance Table" inside is nestled against a wall.
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Margherita pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil
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Asparagus pizza with garlic, olive oil, roasted asparagus, goat cheese and basil
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Prosciutto pizza with garlic, olive oil, arugula and Grana Padano
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A gnome keeps watch in the window of the cafe.
Combine a narrow, tucked-away street with a snug patio, a kitchen helmed by a chef formerly of Acacia Mid-town and Dutch & Co., newlywed owners, and an established following of gelato fanatics, and you've got the key ingredients of the recently reopened Stoplight Gelato Cafe.
In the span of a few years, Caitlin Kilcoin and her husband, Mike Wilbert, went from frequent diners at the intimate, rustic, hole-in-the-wall parlor at 405 Brook Road to first-time restaurateurs.
“I joke and tell people that Mike fell in love with another woman,” says Kilcoin, laughing. “The space and [former owner] Barb [Givens] had a magnetic feeling, and to say we became regulars is an understatement.”
The forest green and exposed-brick interior is home to cozy two-top tables, walls decked out with assorted antiques, framed photos of people eating gelato, the namesake hanging stoplight and European bistro vibes that drew the future owners to the cafe when it initially opened in 2016.
Kilcoin, a 14-year Jackson Ward resident, welcomed the breath of fresh air into her pocket of the city when Stoplight Gelato Cafe debuted, and she and her husband became instantly infatuated.
“It feels like you’re walking into someone's living room,” she says. “The key was that it always felt welcoming and comforting.”
The original owner, 83-year-old matriarch Barbara Givens — known for her youthful energy and quirky earrings — opened the cafe in remembrance of her son Bryce, who died in 2015.
As Kilcoin and Wilbert grew closer with Givens over the years and learned more about the story behind the space and Givens' dedication to preserving the memory of her late son, the duo's connection to the gelateria grew as well. They eventually approached Givens and said that if she ever wanted to sell, that they would be interested in buying.
In late December Givens closed the cafe due to health-related issues, and in the months following Wilbert, an employee of Apple Hospitality REIT, and Kilcoin, of the marketing consulting firm EAB, stepped in as owners.
Although Givens is no longer in charge, she still visits the cafe on a semi-regular basis, and Kilcoin says they remain in steady contact with her. Many of Givens' former employees have retained jobs at the cafe.
The duo want to maintain the spirit and energy Givens created in the space and the other reasons they fell in love with the cafe — the bustle of regulars, cultivating relationships with customers, being present business owners and providing a walkable place that neighbors can visit for a quick bite.
“We want that community-inclusive, welcoming environment,” shares Kilcoin.
The changes overall are simply small improvements — beer and wine available to sip on site or purchase to go, extended hours, and an elevated kitchen led by Chef and General Manager Paul Winston offering pizza and sandwiches.
Winston, 33, a former Acacia Mid-town and Dutch & Co. sous chef and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New England, says he was excited to be a member of the startup crew for Stoplight’s reopening, and also to get the opportunity to work with dough.
“I started randomly making bread back in the day, and that was what made me really want to go to culinary school,” says Winston, who returned to Richmond after a stint in Vermont to pursue a mechanical engineering degree from VCU.
The pies Winston is creating are closely reminiscent of Neapolitan-style — a thin base with an airy crust and a light char. Currently, the hand-tossed pies include traditional offerings such as the Margherita; salami with mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula and Grana Padano; basil pesto; and the herbaceous asparagus with garlic, olive oil and goat cheese.
Winston, who also has a farming background and close working relationships with Tomten Farm and Manakintowne Specialty Growers, says the goal is to keep the flavors simple and incorporate seasonal ingredients. The same philosophy applies to the gelato and the vegan alternative, sorbettos. Typical staples like chocolate can be found on the menu, but Winston’s culinary background is apparent on the rotating lineup that has included rosemary-pear, horchata, fig-balsamic, and unicorn, a colorful combination of flavors supplemented with spirulina.
"I'm excited to be continuing Barb's legacy," he says.
Winston has recently been experimenting with a beet-ginger flavor, and just days ago he picked plums from neighbors' gardens to utilize in cool concoctions.
The addition of alcohol to the cafe has opened the doors to booze and gelato pairings. Earlier this week the cafe introduced a gelato made using Ommegang Brewery’s Rosetta Sour Ale. Grown-up floats are also available, including lemon sorbetto topped off with prosecco.
Stoplight serves Rostov’s drip coffee and Blanchard’s for espresso-based beverages. Sandwiches will soon be added to the mix, and the cafe has begun to partner with local purveyors for bread and produce.
Despite the ownership change, Stoplight Gelato still possesses the feeling of timelessness and nostalgia that Givens originated and offers an experience the trio are happy to provide.
According to Kilcoin, the outpouring of comments on social media was overwhelming when the cafe reopened, and it reaffirmed the importance of preserving the business. She says, "There is a need for this. People missed it, and she had such a strong following, and we want to continue that."
Stoplight Gelato Cafe is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m.
