RICHMOND, Va. -- The owner of Richmond ice cream shop Ruby Scoops is about to shine on national television. Rabia Kamara is competing in Ben and Jerry's Clash of the Cones which debuts Monday night on the Food Network.
Kamara, who attended VCU, opened Ruby Scoops on West Brookland Park Boulevard in 2020.
As a child of immigrants, in a community of immigrants outside Washington, D.C., Kamara was exposed to diverse cooking styles. She said she pulled from those life experiences when creating ice cream flavors.
"Most of my friends were also first-generation Americans. So I grew up in a neighborhood where my next-door neighbors, one family was Ethiopian, one family was Vietnamese. So l would go to someone's house and eat Injera one night, or go to someone else's house and have Pho," she told Scott Wise and Robey Martin on the CBS 6 food podcast Eat It, Virginia! "We explore flavors that I think are important to us. My business partner grew up a military brat, so they got to experience life in different countries and also here... [we're] not afraid to try new flavors and be open to the criticism that comes with that."
Kamara said she hoped Ruby Scoops would also serve as an inspiration for others to follow their dreams.
