Tara Randolph - When Food Becomes Your Life

Devilish Delights Desserts and Grill

By Terry L. Watson

Photos Provided by In-Depth Productions

After acquiring the title of Pastry Chef as a student of Stratford University, Tara Randolph says she knew exactly what she wanted to do next; run her own bakery. That was in 2013, and on an urge, Tara left college and began working on her confections. She began by setting up shop at a local farmers market and later transitioned to a food truck. Today, her operation has grown to a full restaurant.

Tara is a mother of four and wife of thirteen years. She describes herself as a talented entrepreneur, a skill she realized in her early adolescence. “I can go back to a time in the 90s as a little girl growing up in Morristown, NJ, and that is when I came up with the idea to start a business with my cousins. We would sit in my living room with a pen and pad and jot down things we could do to make money. From a nail and hair salon and even babysitting. Once we had our plan together, we would go around our neighborhood with our clipboard knocking on doors and taking orders,” Tara shares. Being from a small town, most of Tara’s neighbors knew her parents and grandparents, so she believes they humored them with a smile and set appointments that were never fulfilled. Those experiences were fun and prompted her cousin and her to move on to their next adventure. Now, 30 years later, Tara has established herself as a sound businesswoman and living her dream of entrepreneurship.

She is the owner of Devilish Delights Desserts and Grill, based in Blackstone, VA. Her company’s slogan is “where the devil is in the details”. Her company is family owned and run by Tara, her husband, David, a self-taught grill master, and her dad Todd, who is an expert chef that specializes in the restaurant’s unique dishes and more.

For the most part, Devilish Delights Desserts and Grill specialize in Pit Smoked BBQ, scratch-made desserts, and catering. “All of our meats come off the smoker, including pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and chicken. Our side dishes are also scratch-made and consist of Mac and Cheese, Fried Cabbage, Baked Beans, and Sweet Cornbread, just to name a few,” Tara says. “We choose the finest ingredients for our desserts to give the highest quality of flavors and richness, from pound cakes to jumbo cookies and bread pudding. We also offer very delicious peaches and cream bread pudding.”

Tara and her family opened the doors of their business on July 7, 2021. They had just moved to Blackstone from Richmond, VA, and noticed there weren’t any bbq restaurants in town, specifically not many black-owned brick-and-mortar places. “At first, we were looking into reestablishing the operation of our food truck which had been shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, I saw this cute little building and thought our restaurant would look perfect there. My husband thought I was nuts, but he went along with it,” she says. The rest of their story is history.

While running a restaurant can be challenging, Tara shares it can be gratifying also. Some of the challenges they’ve faced are Covid and staffing. She says that Covid forced them to rely on take-out orders, but eventually, their clients wanted to come inside and eat. Another challenge has been staffing and finding the suitable candidates who are willing to grow with us.

Regardless of any challenge or trial they have faced, Tara appreciates the opportunity placed upon her family with their business. “I love serving our community. I love that my little town has welcomed our family and our food with open arms. We do not refer to our customers as numbers but as friends. We talk with them, and they constantly tell us how they appreciate us being here. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed it would be,” she says.

Tara finds inspiration in her kids to keep moving and grinding. Her children have always supported her ever since they were working at the farmer’s market and making cupcakes out of their home. Most importantly, her kids have been patient throughout building their company. “They are super proud of both my husband and me. They’ve seen where we started and where we have grown to, and understand that if their parents can do what they want, they can also.

The future looks and smells delicious for Devilish Delights Desserts and Grill. Tara shares that her family’s business plans to eventually expand to a sit-down restaurant and get their homemade bbq and wing sauces in the marketplaces. Currently, they only offer take-out service but can provide catering for any event of any size.

If you are in Blackstone, VA, stop by and enjoy some delicious food at Devilish Delights Desserts and Grill. You may also visit their website for more information.