“I always wanted to create something,” says the co-founder and president of Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches. “A big goal of my life has been finding that outlet.”

Pollack is one of those rare people who is talented—and patient enough—to roll out fresh baked cookies and hand churn ice cream while also possessing a business acumen that has helped her grow a successful company from the ground up. Or rather, from the 2-quart tabletop ice cream maker up.

Back in 2016, Pollack unwittingly created the first prototype for Nightingale—a classic ice cream sandwich which went on the dessert menu at the now shuttered Greenleaf’s Pool Room. After tasting the sandwich, Pollack’s husband Xavier Meers, also a chef, said, “We should try to sell this.”

So they did.

She made every sandwich from scratch that first year, packaging them for her husband to deliver to first customers like Ellwood Thompson’s, Shields Market and Chiocca’s Deli. Today, the Nightingale brand is available in retailers from Florida to Maine, as well as in Texas, Illinois and Minnesota. And Pollack is excited to add it will soon be available through a distributor on the West Coast.

Although they’ve grown exponentially—from a team of two to a team of nearly 40, and from an 850-square-foot space to a 20,000-square-foot production facility — the Nightingale brand is firmly planted in Richmond. A River City native, Pollack says keeping their roots here is “so important to us.”

She is proud of what she’s built, especially her strong team. In addition to building up a national ice cream sandwich empire, Pollack donates treats to a veterans charity and local hospitals. A veteran herself (she joined the Marines at 17), Pollack is personally invested in helping vets transition to civilian life any way she can.

At the end of the day: That may well look like a chocolate blackout or strawberry shortcake sandwich.

“We donate a lot to the children’s hospital and to the hospital staff, especially these past couple of years,” says Pollack. “We just take a big truck down to the hospital filled with ice cream sandwiches and hand them out. With all the work they’re doing, we just want to bring them a little joy.”