Hungry for adventure

Ask any local of Saratoga or the Platte Valley where a good place to eat is, the reply will likely be "What are you hungry for?" With 10 eateries in the area, residents and tourists have no shortage of choice. Soon, yet another option will be added to that list.

For over seven years, Cassie and Tommy Orduno have played no small part in the culinary landscape of the Valley with Bella's Bistro (Bella's). The Italian restaurant, with Tommy in the kitchen and Cassie in the front of the house, has garnered a consistent five star rating on TripAdvisor with over 200 reviews. When Valley restaurants were impacted by public health orders issued in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Orduno's were among those to quickly adapt.

Bella's, like many other restaurants in the area, survived those weeks of only being able to offer curbside and delivery service thanks to the loyalty of their patrons. In fact, not only did it survive, but COVID-19 served as a catalyst for the Ordunos to move forward with a concept they had been considering for over a year.

Saratoga Sandwich Company won't be difficult to spot among the other businesses along Bridge Avenue. The orange wall and teal awning supports draw the eye and the bold black lettering bearing the name of the restaurant stand out against the bright colors.

"With all of the COVID stuff this year, it seemed like this was the right time to introduce a new concept, a quick service place," said Cassie Orduno. "With the changing landscape that all of us restaurateurs are facing, it just forced us to say 'Okay, if we're going to do it, now's the time. Let's just bite the bullet and move forward.'"

While this may be a new concept and a departure from the Italian cuisine offered at Bella's, Cassie doesn't want patrons to think that the high standard that is held by either Tommy or herself won't be present.

"We've always prioritized a high quality experience at Bella's. Excellent food, hand crafted with care and presented by well trained and professional staff. The same will be true for Saratoga Sandwich Company but in a much condensed time frame," Cassie said. "Our whole goal is counter service. We're making great food but as fast as possible for our customers, of course with the same attention to quality and customer service that people have come to expect from Bella's."

Cassie added that the goal of Saratoga Sandwich Company is threefold; fresh food, fast service and friendly service folks. While the Ordunos will be involved with the Saratoga Sandwich Company as much as possible, the person overseeing the friendly service folks will be a face familiar to those who have been longtime customers of Bella's; Max Schneider.

"We feel really lucky to have him. He's been on our crew at Bella's for about five years and, in that time when he's away at school, he's actually earned his degrees in culinary arts and hospitality management from Sheridan College," said Cassie. "So, he's part of the pieces we need to make this happen. He's proven himself to be a strong leader at Bella's, he's a great trainer, he's really a hardworking and honest person and just the kind of person we needed to oversee things for us so we could manage the two concepts and grow our family."

While the name of the new concept leaves little to guess what will be on the menu, Cassie said that people shouldn't expect just a cold cut and some cheese between two pieces of bread.

"Our concept is basically a chef driven deli. Really well made classic sandwiches, soups, salads. Our focus is on using the best ingredients possible to create meals that are, we're calling it, 'adventure ready.' They're portable, they're fast, they're delicious but they're ready to go on whatever our customers have planned for the day," Cassie said.

Whether that adventure is an afternoon lazily floating any section of the North Platte River or Encampment River, horseback riding in the Medicine Bow National Forest or taking the family for a hike along the countless trails in the Snowy Range or Sierra Madres, customers can expect a quality lunch.

"Whatever adventure our beautiful Valley presents, we're hoping to make the lunch to compliment it," said Cassie. "I'm going to call it a 'Saratoga-style' deli. We'll have a nice selection of our signature house sandwiches, both hot and cold, all made to order but with classic deli ingredients. High quality meats, cheeses and fresh toppers. We're also going to have great fresh salads, delicious soups."

For those customers who are in even more of a hurry, Saratoga Sandwich Company will offer "grab and go" items that will be made on an hourly basis.

"They're already wrapped up, ready to go right out the door," Cassie said. "A deli that's designed around the convenience of our customers."

The building at 104 W. Bridge Avenue is no stranger to restaurants as, in the past several years, a number of eateries have come and gone from the location. For the Ordunos, it was the perfect location and provided both the rustic feel they wanted and the blank slate of a kitchen that they needed. According to Cassie, instead of trying to work with equipment that was already there, she and Tommy were able to invest in equipment that would better suit this new concept.

With the number of restaurants in the Valley, venturing into a new concept can come with some concerns. The Ordunos, however, feel comfortable unveiling the Saratoga Sandwich Company.

"Saratoga has, really, a wealth of nice options for dining and we feel fortunate to have been a part of that and to feel like there's a niche that we can still serve within the community. Our goal is, really, just fast lunches. There are a lot of places in town that provide great, great food but we're just hoping to do it really fast, really casual and to bring the deli to Saratoga which, I think, is an area that hasn't been given a lot of attention in the past few years," said Cassie. " I certainly hope there's room for this concept. I think customers will ultimately decide if we've chosen well but I think there's always room in a town like Saratoga for good food."

The Ordunos do not yet have a firm date set for their grand opening, but are aiming for the middle of August.