“It was bittersweet, because we spent a lot of time in that building. But it reached a point where I had to make a decision, and it was a distraction from the core business, which has become catering.”
So says chef and cofounder Abbey Duke about the closure of the Burlington location of Sugarsnap, the farm-to-table caterer that ran a grab-and-go eatery on Riverside Avenue for a decade.
Three years ago, Sugarsnap opened a commercial kitchen and café in South Burlington’s Technology Park; later, it became the sole caterer for ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center.
The work of tending those locations, combined with a robust catering business, made maintaining the cozy Burlington location something of a bear.
“It’s been a great 10 years,” says Duke. She sounds slightly pained about letting down her regulars on Riverside Avenue — including workers in the Intervale, where the Sugarsnap staff farms three acres.
Those hankering for Sugarsnap’s soups and sandwiches can still find them on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m at 30 Community Drive in South Burlington.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Fresh Focus”
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2013.


