For Alex Na’s birthday, he decided to make a brownie tiramisu. Facing the leftovers, he decided to upload a TikTok asking the Richmond community for help finishing the Italian coffee dessert. What he didn’t expect was for it to reach over 22,000 people and receive hundreds of messages from people requesting to meet for a slice. In Jefferson Park on Oct. 21, 2025, the first of many tiramisu meetups occurred — beginning with just fifteen people.
Alex Na's homemade tiramisu at a community meetup at Byrd Park.
Only two months later, on Dec. 6, over 250 people came to Byrd Park for an arranged tiramisu meetup, advertised via Alex’s TikTok @lebronthecat01 and the dedicated RVA Tiramisu Drops Discord server.
Na’s partnership with The Purrfect Bean, Richmond’s only cat cafe — a combination of a coffee bar and cat lounge — that opened in Aug., encouraged people to donate to the cafe’s GoFundMe. Proceeds are given directly to staff, who were out of jobs when the cafe closed for over a month after flooding damage. The culprit? A round-faced tuxedo cat named Roll The Dice, or Roller for short.
Karina Clemz, who sewed prize pins of Roller to raise money, said Roller is suspected to have turned on the upstairs sink, causing the cafe to flood and need immense repairs. Michelle Langham, founder of The Purrfect Bean, declined to comment on Roller’s mischief, but noted he has been spotted playing with faucets.
In November, The Purrfect Bean provided Na with matcha and coffee for a matcha tiramisu, and as a thank you, Na wanted to support them in their time of need by allowing them to fundraise at the event.
Langham highlighted the support Richmond showed the cafe during its recovery: “So many people have reached out it’s mindblowing. It just feels so good. We feel so loved”.
From pumpkin bread to cinnamon rolls, no one leaves unsatisfied, even as the tiramisu runs out quickly. The desserts may vary, but they share a goal: giving back to the community.
Carter Bernaquez, who baked brown butter espresso dark chocolate chip cookies that vanished within minutes, reflects on his love language of baking and gift giving, “I show my love through food, as someone who has faced food insecurity before. Just being able to provide for somebody without strings attached, it’s bringing out a lot of people from each corner of Richmond”.
From The Purrfect Bean’s trickster tuxedo to espresso cookies, Byrd Park becomes a space for collaboration, support, and love for sweets to coexist.
Alex Na hosts the famous tiramisu meetups at Byrd Park in Richmond.
Monte Logan, another volunteer and baker, relayed the impact providing free desserts has had on him, “I’ve met a whole bunch of people, community is the most important thing. You need something that’s not about the money, but about the love.”
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Na has suggested a tiramisu drop at the University of Richmond this semester, hopefully providing free desserts to the UR community. And after a month of repairs, The Purrfect Bean reopened on Jan. 9. Cat visits range from $12 to $25 and can be booked on the cafe’s website.
Contact lifestyle writers Lily Nipper at lily.nipper@richmond.edu and Sara Mancipe at sara.mancipe@richmond.edu
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