From sweet to savory, Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats is steadily building its brand in D.C.
The sky was clear and the sun shined brightly over the Carnegie Library in the Nation’s Capital on a warm Spring afternoon in mid-April. Outside of the historic museum, bright red balloons and a huge blow-up of a Washington Capitals’ hockey jersey blew lightly in the wind as event organizers and several food truck owners were setting up for “Rock the Red Day.”
Hundreds of fans were on their way to witness Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaim April 14 as the big day to highlight the team’s successful season and officially kickoff of their playoff run.
Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats owner, Brandon Byrd, pulled his light blue and white-painted retro food truck “Gigi” up near the front steps of the library and began preparing for potential customers. After handing out tiny spoonfuls of handcrafted Wisconsin-style frozen custard, he hoped many would be interested in purchasing a delicious sundae or a homemade milkshake.
Always a major fan of classic cars and the vintage Americana-era, Byrd wore a blue-yellow plaid newsboy cap, a matching yellow bowtie and a cobalt blue sweater over a blue collared shirt, an outfit reminiscent of the 1950s--for the event, he would be making all of Goodies’ sweet treats solo.
In 2011, Byrd stepped away from a successful marketing career in New York City and decided to relocate to D.C., where most of his family currently resides, in order to get started in the food industry.
“When I thought about what my next move was, I didn’t want to do anything familiar–meaning, I didn’t want to go back to Corporate America. I did not want to go back to the entertainment industry and food is about the most different you can think of,” said Byrd.
Many of Byrd’s early cooking skills were developed at a young age with the help of his mother, which is what inspired the business owner to create his very own brand of vanilla bean frozen custard.
“As young as three years old, I was always in the kitchen in some capacity. My mom used to make her ice cream/frozen custard and when I was a kid after it finished churning, she would allow us to scrape as much frozen custard off of the beaters as we could, but then anything that was left over we got a chance to eat it.””
According to Byrd, being a black business owner in D.C. has its fair share of pros and cons. “It’s awesome because you’re like the trailblazer–so as the trailblazer you’re writing the blueprint for someone to sort of replicate what you’ve done," said Byrd.
The business owner says it's often difficult to find teens and young adults to hire, due to the 1950s-inspired uniform he and other employees wear, and some people aren't willing to pay more for a higher-priced, handcrafted product.
Despite some challenges, Byrd has managed to not only successfully run “Gigi” around the entire D.C. metro area, but he also opened a soda stand at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., and just recently opened a soda bar in the USDA building at 14th & Independence SW near the National Mall. The brand new location offers savory breakfast items like buttermilk biscuits topped with sausage and eggs, pulled pork or brown sugar rubbed salmon.
“I’ve never done savory before, but because it’s a larger space, I’m actually offering savory breakfasts,” said Byrd. “Everything that we do is scratch-made, handcrafted and very very very high-quality–It’s comfort food, but it’s also comfort food with like a spin on it.”
