Getting Snappy

A spot at the junction of Community Drive and Kimball Avenue in South Burlington is about to get fresh. Abbey Duke and Rob Smart, co-owners of Sugarsnap [1] on Burlington’s Riverside Avenue, signed a lease Friday to take over a café space that was occupied until recently by a satellite location of Burlington’s popular all-night sandwich seller Kountry Kart Deli [2]. Since Technology Park is already home to the offices of Ben & Jerry’s [3], Fletcher Allen [4] and Symquest Group [5], the new lunch option is sure to get lots of traffic.

Duke says her meal biz will fill the hole left by Kountry Kart — and then some. While the original Sugarsnap continues to offer soups, sandwiches and freshly prepared dinners for takeout, the new one will have seating for 45 people and a retail space where Duke will vend value-added products from Sugarsnap’s own farm at Burlington’s Intervale [6] and other local agricultural ventures.

The 2500-foot kitchen will serve as a prep area for both the new and old cafés, plus catering gigs. Duke expects it to stay busy all weekend, she says, though the new eatery will be open only Monday through Friday.

With more space come expanded offerings. Duke says to expect more frozen soups and sauces at both locations. To provide for the two restaurants, she’s busy at the farm planting more of practically everything, from new fruit trees to enough basil for a year-round supply of pesto.

She has some time to test new recipes, too: Duke expects to start using the new kitchen in early June, with the café opening a month later.