The Blue Ridge Mountain’s Fudge Lady

The Blue Ridge Mountain’s Fudge Lady

by Ashley Wynn & Tomas Williamson

Robin Burdette, known to the New River Valley as “The Fudge Lady,” has spent the past decade perfecting her desserts, supporting her daughter, and spreading joy across the NRV. 

In 2014, Burdette was given the option to move to Northern Virginia and renew her contract with the U.S. Military, but she decided to take a different route with her career. She informed her colonel that she would resign and open a fudge shop back in her hometown of Montgomery County. 

“I had been considering opening my own business for a while and when I told the Army my plans for the fudge shop they said I was crazy,” said Burdette. “My daughter at this time was in fourth grade and she struggled in Northern Virginia. I wanted to be able to give her the opportunities I had back in my hometown.” 

As a single mother, Burdette wanted to make sure she had a level of financial stability to fall back upon while raising her daughter. She said that her family lived in Chavesville, Virginia, and moving back into the area would allow her daughter to have a smaller place to grow up with closer-knit friends and family. 

Burdette opens the fudge shop at 7 in the morning, sets up the store for the incoming customers, and then leaves for her 9-5 work as a cryptologist for the U.S. Military, helping to study and break codes. 

A current employee of the “The Blue Ridge Fudge Lady Cafe,” Shelley Whitaker, found inspiration in Burdette’s story. “I think she’s given me a better work ethic,” Whitaker said. ” I see how hard she works, and I want to keep that same energy.”

Initially, Burdette ran her fudge shop out of Pulaski County from 2015 to 2020, but in January she decided to not renew her lease at the store. “I knew I didn’t want to stay in Pulaski before the pandemic hit. Most of my customer base was primarily in Christiansburg but COVID helped finalize my decision from a retail standpoint,” Burdette stated. 

That year after shutting down her Pulaski location ended up being the biggest year for online sales for “The Fudge Lady.” She said that it allowed her to spend advertising money to promote online orders versus in-store promotions. Burdette rented out a space in Draper from a friend and made fudge for the massive amounts of online orders she was receiving. 

In December, “The Fudge Lady” officially opened her new location in Christiansburg. With the hopes of expanding her customer base and menu over the upcoming year, Burdette added a breakfast and lunch menu in April. 

“At my current shop location, there are a lot of office buildings and businesses. Those people need food to eat on their breaks so I decided to grow the menu to get people in the door,” Burdette said. “It’s been fun to add to the menu and come up with more items, it’s not too complicated.”

The cafe strives to bring more than just fudge to its customers. “We want to always have smiling faces,” Whitaker says. “We want to create an atmosphere where people can be happy and together.”