By Anna Armstrong 

Even after climbing Mount Everest, swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, and fasting for forty days and forty nights, I am not sure you could work up an adequate appetite to finish an entire meal at Cameo Cakery and Café. However, earlier this November, my mother Kelly Armstrong and I decided to take on the challenge of women versus food.

Despite the relatively high prices, I got my money’s worth through the numerous leftovers from these rich and decadent dishes. While trying out Cameo’s dishes was a way for me and my mom to treat ourselves after a few busy weeks, I would not suggest this to the average Collegiate student with a meek babysitting salary, unless they want to spend a pretty penny on an average meal.

The quaint restaurant, established in 2013, sits at 306 Libbie Avenue in the Libbie and Grove shopping area, offering breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner options. Many customers even stop by just for a quick cup of coffee, as the café offers curbside pickup, as well as the choices of delivery or dining-in. I decided to order in-store for carry-out, because at the time the online menu was experiencing technical difficulties.

One of the indoor seating options inside the restaurant.

While waiting for my order, I was able to take in the refreshing ambiance of the cakery. The owner sat at the bar chatting with a friend and her employees. An older mother and daughter pair sat outside to have a glass of wine. The two were joined on the patio by a group celebrating a baby shower on this surprisingly warm November night.

Another one of the indoor seating options inside the restaurant.

The service was slow enough to make my mouth water but didn’t give my hangry alter ego time to appear. However, the aromas wafting from the backseat made the drive home nearly torture. After what seemed like an eternity, rather than a ten-minute car ride back to our house, it was time to dig in.

My fatal error was deciding to taste the smoked salmon savory cake first, because it set a high precedent for flavor that was unmatched by the rest of the meal. The salmon flaked throughout the bunt-shaped entrée, which resembled more of a quiche than a cake. My mother noted the “delicious notes of dill” that helped blend the additional flavors of goat cheese and green onions. Contrary to Google reviewer Rosana Nguyen, who stated, “I guess the combo of goat cheese and smoked salmon doesn’t really work,” I felt the combination was inventive and successful.

The salmon savory cake.

However, my expectations following the salmon meal were disappointed by the crab and shrimp dish. This savory cake was accompanied by accents of sweet red peppers, carrots, and smoked gouda. Unfortunately, together none of these flavors were able to thrive, resulting in a somewhat bland quiche. To combat this lack of tang, my mother claimed it “needed Old Bay.”

The shrimp and crab savory cake.

Despite my dissatisfaction with the crab and shrimp savory cake, the final dish I tried was a blend of ham, asparagus, and Italian cheese that left me content. Although the bites of ham were slightly tough and would have been better sliced into smaller pieces, the overall seasoning compensated for the lack of spice in the prior savory cake. However, this dish still ranked below the first smoked salmon success.

The ham and asparagus savory cake.

For dessert, we ordered a pumpkin spice seasonal specialty cupcake, the white almond raspberry cupcake, and the salted caramel heath cupcake to satisfy the chocolate lover inside me.

A trio of cupcakes picturing flavors of white chocolate raspberry in front, pumpkin spice to the left, and chocolate caramel heath to the right.

Despite the unappetizing appearance of the grey icing on the pumpkin spice cupcake, the icing packed a power punch of festive flavor much more authentic than any Starbucks drink specialty this fall. The moist spice cake was not dense and left me with enough room in my stomach to finish reviewing the following two desserts.

The next cupcake we tried was the white almond raspberry and my mom’s personal favorite. Her only complaint was there was not enough raspberry filling, which I agreed with. However, this filling is beautifully combined with the white chocolate icing. The icing lightly sat upon the airy cake that triumphs any monstrously rich dessert from Richmond’s legendary and popular Pearl’s Bake Shoppe. This simple, yet well-executed combination was the perfect finale to our rich dinner.

Although my chocolate craving presents a bias, the salted-caramel heath cupcake was my favorite aspect of the overall meal. As expected, the chocolate cake was slightly denser than the previous vanilla cakes. The sweet-to-salty ratio was perfect.

In addition to the dishes I tried, I asked Cameo employees and Collegiate juniors Kate Turnbull (‘23) and Taylor Domson (‘23) their opinions on the bakery. Turnbull and Domson both described the work environment at Cameo as positive and driven. While both agree that the shifts are tiring, Turnbull expressed “there is a lot of encouragement and fun that comes along with it.”

Turnbull and Domson share my appreciation for the white chocolate raspberry and caramel heath cupcakes. They both suggested trying some of their breakfast options, specifically the fall latte. Domson went further by describing the cinnamon rolls with a heart-eye emoji.

Overall, the dinner was nothing to rave about, but the general atmosphere of the café and desserts made up for the lack of flavor. I would advise anyone willing to try Cameo to bring their appetite and maybe some salt or other desired seasoning.

All photos by Anna Armstrong.