BY JILL NAGY
On Black Friday, a troop of neighbors
and friends helped owner John Reardon
move Compliments to the Chef, an upscale
kitchenware shop, to its new home at 46
Marion Ave., Saratoga Springs, in the
Fresh Market plaza.
The new location provides more space,
on-site parking, and a congenial neighbor.
“Foodies shop at the Fresh Market and
we have the toys for the foodies,” Reardon
said. For the soft opening, there was no
advertising beforehand, not even a sign to
let people know he was there. But, there
was no turning back.
Reardon is excited about the new space.
“There is room to linger,” he said, as the
store is brighter, and the stock is more
spread out and easier to see. The availability
of parking is also a big plus.
“Some things, like a complete set of
All-Clad cookware, are not conducive to
walking four blocks” to street parking,
he noted.
Reardon has been with the shop for 12
years, 11 as the owner. It is a family business.
His son, John, and daughter-in-law,
Audrey, are also involved and his wife,
a business professor at the SUNY Delhi
satellite campus at Schenectady County
Community College, helps out part time.
There are six part-time employees but
Reardon hopes it translates into some
full-time positions.”
Before taking on the shop, Reardon was
in the restaurant business most of his life.
His accountant introduced him to the previous
owners, Andrea and Dave LeFrance,
and the rest is history.
“This had all the things I love about
cooking but I don’t have to cook,” he said.
The store sells a variety of items, both
American-made and imported, including
All-Clad pots and pans, made in the USA;
LeCreuset French ovenware; Emile Henri
clay bakeware, also from France; Wusthof
and Zwilling-J.A.Henkels German knives;
and Shun knives from Japan. In addition,
they stock their own brand of spices and
sea salts, Sundae’s Best hot fudge sauce,
and wooden cutting boards made by local
artisan Adam Zielinski.
Compliments to the Chef is open seven
days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Further
information is available at SaratogaChef.
com, or by calling 226-4477.