It all started with a farm and a small kitchen on Riverside Ave…
…and the rest is history.
Our Story
Over 21 years of hard work, great food and amazing community partnerships.
It all started in 2002 when founder Abbey Duke decided to pursue her dream to start a farm-related business. She quit her job in content marketing at Gardener’s Supply Company and started learning everything she could to gain skills. The goal? Start a business within two years that involved growing and selling products in Burlington’s Intervale.
In 2003, while applying to rent land in Burlington’s Intervale, Abbey had the opportunity to rent a small kitchen and retail space at the top of the hill on Riverside Ave.
The little building had been a late-night fried chicken wing place and was in disrepair. Yet, Abbey saw potential. She teamed up with two chefs, Kirk and Katie Fiore, and together they founded Sugarsnap.
The business officially opened in December 2003. The original business model focused on freshly prepared take-out lunches and take-home dinners with catering on the side. Abbey ran the business and the farm, and Katie and Kirk ran the kitchen. The business grew, especially catering. By 2008, Sugarsnap had maxed out the 1,000-square-foot building, and it was time to make a decision: a bigger kitchen or stay small? Kirk and Katie decided it was time for new challenges and left the business. Abbey decided to grow it.
Abbey raised money and put in a 4,500-square-foot catering and commissary kitchen in Technology Park in South Burlington. Bar service was added and catering expanded. The Riverside store remained open, a café was added to the new kitchen in South Burlington, and Sugarsnap took over running the café at ECHO on Burlington’s waterfront.
In 2012, Sugarsnap became the exclusive bar caterer for ECHO and in 2014 became the exclusive food and bar caterer. Ultimately, it became clear that the business was too complicated, with three cafes, a farm and a large catering operation. By 2017, Sugarsnap closed down all three cafes to focus exclusively on full-service catering and drop off catering. That focus paid off and Sugarsnap grew to be one of the largest off-premise caterers in the area.
2020 was on track to be the best year ever, but we all know how that ended. Sugarsnap immediately launched a home delivery service and looked for opportunities. Abbey was able to secure a contract with the state of Vermont providing meals for people the state housed in area hotels. For 13 months, the Snap team cooked and delivered over 600,000 meals to unhoused people in four Vermont counties.
In 2021, Sugarsnap transitioned back to event catering, and has been busier than ever with over 400 events annually between full-service events and drop off service. In 2022 Sugarsnap became the exclusive food caterer for The Barn at Smugglers’ Notch and is on the list as preferred caterer at many venues in the Chittenden county area.
Abbey began thinking about her next steps in life and the next chapter for Sugarsnap. She decided to sell the business with a hope to either sell it to all or some of her employees either via worker co-op or a private sale.
In May 2025, Abbey sold the business to longtime employees Samantha and Mike Kilhullen. Abbey kept the farm and will continue on with that while Sam and Mike take over the catering side of the business.
Sam and Mike joined the Sugarsnap team in 2017 as interns from New England Culinary Institute. Sam received her bachelors in baking and pastry and Mike received his bachelors in culinary arts. Sam started as the baker and worked her way up to event producer and coordinator. Mike joined the team as a production cook and eventually worked his way up to event chef and kitchen manager.
Purchasing Sugarsnap was an easy decision. We are grateful for the opportunities Abbey has given us over the years and are excited to be the next generation of the Sugarsnap legacy. We look forward to what the future holds for the company continuing the great partnerships we have with our venues, partners, and community.
We thank everyone for their continued support and can’t wait to see you at your next event.
Cheers,
The Kilhullen’s
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