The Black Sheep
In November 2007, we received a phone call from Melissa, Kevin's sister, about a promising location up for lease near VCU. Because we had received similar phone calls from Melissa (who was eager for Kevin to get back in to the restaurant business), we were skeptical but drove to take a look. As soon as we pulled up, we knew the location showed great potential. After deep discussions and much deliberation with our families and close friends, we decided we would take a giant leap and sign the lease for 901 W. Marshall St.

Ever since that day, Kevin, Amy, and many others have been working to make The Black Sheep ours - from the booths to the tables to the authentic barn wood wall against the exposed brick, every piece in the restaurant has been carefully crafted and selected to make The Black Sheep unique and inviting.

So what about the name?! Well, Kevin and I had thought of it a few years prior to finding this location, and it's very well suited for both of us personally - just ask our families! Coincidentally, we found out after choosing the name that the Carver neighborhood is also known as Sheep Hill, a sign that we made the right choice! It also doesn't hurt that we are situated in the heart of the VCU campus, home of the Rams (ram = male sheep). All in all, we felt excited about our choice and all the synchronistic events surrounding our decision.

Kevin Roberts, Chef / Co-Owner
Kevin started his culinary career nearly 20 years ago at local Richmond favorite, the Bamboo Cafe. After realizing he had a special culinary talent, he pursued a more challenging position at Amici and later The Frog and The Redneck, where he met Dale Reitzer. Realizing more experience was needed to build his proficiency in the kitchen, Kevin chose to attend culinary school at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. On the road trip from Richmond to Arizona, he made what was supposed to be an overnight stay in New Orleans, LA; he fell in love with the city, abandoned his culinary school plans, and stayed for 3 years.

During that time, Kevin cooked for some of the country's most prestigious restaurants and apprenticed under world-renowned Chefs, including Frank Brigtsen. It was under Chef Brigtsen that Kevin honed his palate and perfected classical French cuisine with a Creole/Cajun influence. It was also during this time that he met and fell in love with a waitress who shared his passion for food, music, and life. In 1998, Kevin and Amy made the difficult decision to leave their beloved New Orleans and decided to move back to Richmond.

Arriving in Richmond, Kevin returned to his previous employers at the Bamboo and also took a job at his old friend Dale Reitzer's new restaurant, Acacia. After working at Acacia for about 2 years, he worked at various other Richmond restaurants either full or part time, including Kuba Kuba, Bacchus, Limani, A Shaper Palate, Mamma Zu, and Buz and Ned's. In 2004, Kevin had the opportunity to work as the Executive Chef for Governor Mark Warner at the Executive Mansion. He accepted the position and stayed as the Executive Chef at the Governor's Mansion into Governor Tim Kaine's administration. In 2006, Kevin left the Mansion to take a break from restaurants.

Getting back in to the business was somewhat inevitable and a relief to most people who have ever eaten Kevin's food. Having a place to call his own will give Kevin the freedom to put into practice the various culinary experience and passion he's accumulated over the past 20 years.

Amy Hess, Co-Owner
Amy's culinary experience began at a coffee roasters in Middletown, RI, where she learned not only about coffee roasting, tasting, and variety, but about fresh ingredients for lite café fare. While in New Orleans, she continued her work with coffee at locally owned CC's Café (a Community Coffee establishment).

Amy wanted to take full advantage of the culinary experiences that New Orleans had to offer, so she pursued and achieved a position as a front waiter at the Palace Café, a Brennan family restaurant. This experience taught her a great deal about fine dining and Creole/ Cajun cuisine with an emphasis on points of service and wine pairing. After moving to Richmond in1998, Amy worked at Kuba Kuba restaurant and managed Need Supply Co. in Carytown. She has worked at Capital One since 2000.