The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our September 2026 issue.
Gray Fultz at Sugar & Twine in Carytown
If you’ve ordered coffee in Richmond over the past decade, chances are you’ve been greeted by Gray Fultz’s easy smile. Born in Hanover, she came to the city to attend Virginia Commonwealth University but found a different kind of education: cafe counters and restaurant lines. Now a barista at Carytown bakery and cafe Sugar & Twine, Fultz has built a reputation as a beverage obsessive and sandwich connoisseur who thrives on consistency, connection and a fun drink.
Richmond magazine: Can you tell us about your Richmond beginnings?
Gray Fultz: I grew up in Hanover. I crept into the city at 18 for VCU and lived in an apartment next to Mamma Zu in Oregon Hill, and I’ve been here ever since. My very first job in Richmond was at Rostov’s [Coffee & Tea]. I had never done coffee. I learned the basics, but then once I went to Sefton [Coffee Co.], I honed all my skills and got the art and recipes down.
RM: Did you think you’d stick with coffee and hospitality?
Fultz: Yes. You can still make things, but you’re not hidden away in a kitchen. Some people are like, “I want to be in the back,” and I’m like, “Can I just talk to everybody that’s here?” I can still tell you some of my regulars’ names and orders from Rostov’s. Even now at Sugar & Twine, I’m seeing so many regulars from everywhere. I think you make such a connection, especially with coffee. It’s really cool to work at a place where someone goes every day of their life. I cannot sit in an office. When I’m not working at a coffee shop, I always have one that I’m going to, so I feel like I’m creating that connection, whether it’s me with the customer or I’m the customer. I also love food and beverage and don’t drink a lot, so I like making little fun tea and mocktail bevvies.
RM: You’ve also got a thing for sandwiches.
Fultz: Yes! I started working at Pop’s on Grace, my first restaurant job, and I’d work at Rostov’s in the morning and Pop’s at night. Once I learned the foundation from Josh Wright [current partner and former owner of Pop’s], who’s so particular with sandwiches, I was like, “I can do this anywhere.” Then, I worked at Garnett’s and then was the kitchen manager at Susie’s — I really like sandwich shops. But I thrive on consistency, and I wanted to be front-of-house and make drinks for people again.
A latte from Sugar & Twine made by Fultz with espresso from Recluse Roasting Project
RM: You’ve been a regular on the city’s coffee circuit. Can you share all the places you’ve worked?
Fultz: Rostov’s, Sefton, Birdie’s, Urban Hang Suite and Buna Kurs. Every coffee shop I’ve been at has been owned by a woman, and I love that. Even Yael [Cantor] at Susie’s. I just like women in charge.
RM: Let’s talk about your beverage lore. You’re always concocting a drink. How did this start?
Fultz: I’d always been into drinks growing up, specifically Capri Suns and Mondo. I’m attracted to the design; all the canned drinks now are so cute. Because my first job was in a coffee shop, I’ve always been interested in making them. We have a juicer at home, so fresh juice with water and herbs in the summer in a deli container is my thing. Anything I can get at the farmers market inspires me to make a drink.
RM: What does the future bring for your career?
Fultz: [Josh and I] always talk about how we want to have a little property and use it for events. We know how to throw an event; we know how to host. Hopefully there’s land where we can grow things, and that’s a long-term vision. Virginia has such a cool agricultural blend; we are close to the river or the water, and we are close to the mountains, and you can grow a lot of stuff here. I am more of the drink side of things, and then [Josh] is more of the food. We complement each other that way.
RM: If you were on an island and could only bring five beverages with you, what would they be?
Fultz: No. 1 is straight-up water. Obsessed. It’s the foundation. Guava São Paulo La Croix, iced jasmine tea, Pacific Cooler Capri Sun and an iced oat chai.
RM: What items do you always have on deck in the kitchen?
Fultz: Fresh ginger and garlic. Mayonnaise, because I need to make sauces, and mustard. Some kind of green, I love an arugula; you can make a salad, or you can put it on a sandwich. Citrus, lemons, oranges, limes, especially in the summer. Goat cheese from Caromont [Farm] from the farmers market, the classic. I typically have a Sub Rosa [Bakery] something, either a half loaf of bread or their pastries. We’re a produce-heavy household.
RM: Are there any foods or dishes that you feel like are your thing?
Fultz: I'm a big salad girlie. I think a lettuce-less salad is really nice, just fruits and veggies and good dressing. I love a good balance of crunchy and fats — and the dressing; you've got to do homemade. A [combination of] honey, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and vinegar of choice is my go-to. I love Champagne vinaigrette and honey mustard dressing. I do a blend of Dijon, and then I use stone-ground, too, because I like the grittiness of it, and the sharper vinegar pop for the Dijon.
RM: I know you have a chai recipe that you’ve perfected; what started that experimentation?
Fultz: I worked on it for years. It’s what I wanted in a chai; selfishly, that’s why I made it. After I started working at Rostov’s, I really got into tea. Somebody started making a chai at Rostov’s, and I liked it, but it’s not my fave. Everything is so sweet, and I can’t taste any of the spices. I just felt like I wanted a slightly sweet but also spice-forward version, and I wanted to make a concentrate so I could add milk or not.
My friend Eden, who I met at Sefton, had traveled to India. I kind of brainstormed with her, and I came up with a seven-spice recipe that I use. Fennel is in there. Ginger’s in there. I experimented with her, and I finally got it down when I was the head barista at Birdie’s. That’s when I came up with my final concentrate.
I use dark brown sugar, so there’s molasses in it as well. I use powdered black tea because if I use steeping black tea, there’s a chance it could become tannic or over-steeped. I use an Assam, and I feel like it’s got this little jamminess that I really like.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
