The Savory Pantry, a specialty fine-food and gift retailer based in Hot Springs, Arkansas, today announced its expansion into Saratoga Springs. Located at 486 Broadway in the heart of historic downtown, the new storefront is the Savory Pantry’s second physical retail location.

The company is a fine-food retailer specializing in sourcing premium food products and creating custom gift baskets with the two store locations and online at savorypantry.com. Established in 1998, the Savory Pantry also provides customers with original recipes and helpful advice for easy entertaining and gift giving. 

The shop promises food lovers that every taste tells a story.

"The Savory Pantry experience gives our customers more knowledge about the foods they eat and the gifts they share," said Keeley Ardman DeSalvo, founder, president and chief executive officer of the Savory Pantry. "We’re inspired by the wonderful producers whose life's work and passion are devoted to the foods they create. It’s important to us that we share their stories and be the destination for food lovers in search of premium artisanal products for personal enjoyment and gift-giving."

The store features regional foods from across the United States and Europe, as well as locally sourced products from New York and Vermont.  

The Savory Pantry includes diverse, carefully selected items ranging from handcrafted pastas and sauces by Italy's Casina Rossa to small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolates from Brooklyn's Mast Brothers to Nashville's Bathtub Gin Jam, a line of jams versatile enough to mix in cocktails or spread on morning toast. 

Long regarded as the go-to source for standalone specialty food gifts and unmatched custom food baskets, Savory Pantry Saratoga gives its customers access to its roster of producers and culinary experts who will play an active role in the new store, including providing in-store educational sessions that give customers useful tips for easy entertaining and cooking at home. 

"The Savory Pantry has been one of Ritrovo's most dedicated retailers,” said Ilyse Rathet, founder of Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods, an award-winning Seattle-based importer. “Keeley and her team consistently choose only the finest-quality products and work tirelessly to educate consumers on how to use them in the home kitchen. Their commitment to a great customer experience is unparalleled in the specialty-food world."

In business since 1998, the Savory Pantry is known for its commitment to sourcing small-batch artisanal products locally and abroad.

"You have only to read the Savory Pantry blog to discover that the company has a knack for finding wonderful and simply delicious products," said Clare Turner, founder of the Virginia Chutney Company. “But the real joy is that the team there is totally invested in its vendors. The staff is so enthusiastic and supportive of our chutneys, they actually spend more time promoting our products than we do.”

Ardman DeSalvo credits Saratoga’s rich racing tradition, vibrant farmer’s markets, abundance of local food purveyors, and high-quality restaurants and chefs as the driving force behind her decision to expand. 

“With so many great neighbors and opportunities for partnership, we hope to support and encourage further growth in the area’s vibrant food culture by sourcing new products from local producers here and in surrounding states,” she said. “We also want to introduce extraordinary regional foods from other parts of the world.”

Ardman DeSalvo is a founding member and director of her native Downtown Hot Springs Initiative, a group of business and property owners who promote the development of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. She is also the owner and president of the Pancake Shop, a family-owned destination breakfast restaurant in Hot Springs in operation for more than 70 years. She serves on several community boards there and also served in the Clinton administration prior to opening the Savory Pantry.

In launching the new location, Ardman DeSalvo tapped seasoned food professional Tina Kehoe Cheeks, a Capital Region native and consultant to New York City-based Chelsea Market Baskets, to lead the expansion as the Savory Pantry’s chief operating officer. Kehoe Cheeks is also an ongoing contributor to the company's blog, taste.savor.share. 

Kehoe Cheeks, who served as a judge on the Food Network Channel’s “The Next Food Network Star” and managed a specialty-food company designated as the Specialty Food Association’s Retailer of the Year, will lead the growth of the company's corporate gift business and assist Ardman DeSalvo in sourcing new products for both locations.

  

“As a hometown girl, I’m excited to be a part of the of the vibrant food culture that has grown in Capital Region throughout the years,” said Kehoe Cheeks. “Keeley’s vision for how The Savory Pantry Saratoga can add to the rich culinary fabric of the community has our team energized.”

--Jennie