Air Force vet transforms into Director of Deliciousness at Henrico popcorn shop

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- If you're craving a particular flavor of popcorn, Lammar Marie's Gourmet Popcorn is the place to look.

The gourmet popcorn shop specializes in flavored popcorn.

"The most popular ones this time of year are chocolate peppermint snow, pumpkin spice, snickerdoodle, buttery white cheddar, Mexican street corn, spicy cheddar, which is a recipe that is legit spicy," shop owner Rialand Jones said.

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Jones takes perfecting the popcorn's taste and presentation seriously.

It's a job that he enjoys and he's been doing it for four years at Lammar Marie's.

"I am the chief pop master and director of deliciousness," he said. "I want to make sure it tastes right, and I want to make sure it looks right."

The kitchen is where the magic happens.

"This is essentially like a bakery. We just bake popcorn, not cupcakes," Jones said.

While Rialand has no professional culinary experience, he's mastered sauce mixing and popcorn popping.

"We make all of our sauces from scratch. There is no artificial flavoring. We don't use caramel flavoring. We make the actual caramel sauce, and then we put popcorn in it," he said.

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The retired Air Force veteran has been pursuing his entrepreneurial passions since leaving the military in 2004.

"I had a wedding DJ business for about 12 years. I had an online personal training business for about four years," Jones said.

But he has big plans for popcorn.

Jones said he saw Lammar Marie's as a national brand.

"We want to be based here. We still want to have that hometown feel. But, we want everybody across the nation to know who we are. This seemed like a way that I could support my family and have a big impact on the community," he said.

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Giving back is a part of his business operation.

"It's super important. We donate a lot. Every month we have a budget that's just for donations. If you have a school function going on, a club fundraiser we just donate bags. It's just what we do," Jones said.

Lammar Marie's donates popcorn on a first-come, first-served basis. The best time to make a request is at the beginning of the month.

You can learn more about the popcorn shop by clicking here.

Lammar Marie's Gourmet Popcorn
3047 Lauderdale Dr.
Richmond Virginia