Ice cream is always a charming summer choice.
strawberry ice cream
ice cream, richmond, virginia, downtown, strawberry
With a short strawberry season you need to be ready to go when the berries are.
If you just glance in the window of Charm School Social Club in downtown Richmond, you might be confused. It looks like an old-fashioned schoolhouse, with book-themed wallpaper, straight chairs, and wooden tables; sounds like a nightclub; and smells like warm, sugary heaven.
Neither school nor club, Charm School is home to some of the state’s best ice cream (USA Today named it the best ice cream in Virginia in 2019). Co-owners Alex Zavaleta and Meryl Hillerson make the ice cream fresh daily—including three or four vegan options—in a rotating assortment of whimsical flavors like Golden Grahams Cereal Milk, Orange Cardamom, Chocolate Milk, and Cinnadoodle. “All of our flavors are inspired by things we personally enjoy eating,” says Zavaleta. “Toast and Jam is inspired by my favorite breakfast. Breakfast inspires quite a bit at Charm School.”
The duo also makes their own toppings and mix-ins, opting for simple options like chopped nuts and cookies crumbs to complement the offbeat ice cream flavors. The ice cream is served in handmade cones topped with gloriously toasted marshmallow fluff. Why do it all in-house? Zavaleta says, “Most of the ice cream industry pushes shops to do quick and cheap. We try to go for delicious first. The best way to do that is to make it yourself. That extends to our cones. Why go through the process of crafting an incredible ice cream to just plop it on a cone out of a box? However, this does mean cone making is basically a full-time job at Charm School.”
Although Zavaleta grew up in Virginia, he learned how to make ice cream—and met business partner Hillerson—in San Francisco. When his funky flavors proved popular with friends, the duo decided to open an ice cream parlor. “I always loved it here, and it didn’t take long for my friends here to convince me that Charm School should be in Richmond,” says Zavaleta. They designed Charm School, from the schoolhouse theme to the turntable and extensive record collection, as a place they would enjoy hanging out. “There is no place I’d rather live and work than Richmond. I can’t say what the future will hold for Charm School but I can say expansion is still in the works. A big thank you to all the other like-minded businesses here in Richmond who continue to do great and exciting things.” CharmSchoolRVA.com
