From left: John, Jordan, and Karen Kelly pose in the kitchen of the Savory Moose in Nobleboro on Jan.27. Karen and John Kelly recently welcomed their son Jordan into the family business. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Focaccia-style pizza is topped with curls of zucchini and lightly charred whole cherry tomatoes that literally burst with flavor. Norwegian salmon soup with buttery leeks and fresh dill is served hot to go. These are among the new offerings to be found Monday through Thursday at Nobleboro’s Savory Moose on the corner of Route 1 and East Pond Road.
The popular bakery and make-ahead meal source has also extended its hours to accommodate more of a lunch crowd, open now from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m.
And there’s a new face behind the counter. John and Karen Kelly have made Savory Moose even more of a family business with the addition of their son Jordan, whose experience in pizza parlors in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Camden make him the perfect person to spearhead the fresh-made pizza program.
“He knows a lot about pizza and breads,” said Karen Kelly, “and he’s patient enough to work with his parents.”
For Jordan Kelly, pizza is a food that appeals to all ages.
“I think that’s why I’m so drawn to it,” he said. “When we were kids it was always like everybody agreed we’re having pizza tonight. Everybody was looking forward to it, the whole family.”
He did some experimenting to find the right crust and eventually settled on a thick, chewy version that bakes up with a little extra crispness on the bottom.
Savory Moose offers two varieties daily: a classic tomato and mozzarella with basil oil, and a second option featuring whatever combination Jordan Kelly and Karen Kelly dream up as they debate all the possible flavors and toppings.
Jordan Kelly has no intention of stopping at pizza. Pre-made soups are the number one bestseller from their line of refrigerated foods, and with wintry weather and temperatures dipping below 10 degrees, offering hot soup for lunch was a no-brainer.
There are also plans for a soup and sandwich special to come. Jordan Kelly is currently working out the recipe for oven-baked hoagie rolls for a classic chopped Italian.
But for now, according to Karen Kelly, “the biggest thing is pizza. Every single day we will have fresh-made pizza.”
The dual-generational aspect is one of the most intriguing parts of their adjusted business model. With Karen and John Kelly operating from a space of semiretirement, they’re less focused on expansion than on right-sizing the business, making it sustainable for themselves and the community and making it a tempting opportunity for their son.
While Jordan Kelly has worked alongside his father on the bakery side, he prefers the less exacting art of supper and soup-making.
“By changing the name and leaning into the savory dinners, I feel like you were trying to coax me in here, you know?” he said to his mother.
Karen Kelly hid a small smile. “Maybe,” she said.
During Sunday prep days mother and son often bounce ideas off each other – what sounds like fun to make? What might work for their customer base? What might not?
The goal is five soups a week and a freezer filled with shepherd’s pie, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna, with a whole separate freezer just for chicken potpies.
On the refrigerated side Karen Kelly makes up dinner plates for easy reheating: stuffed peppers, enchilada bakes, turkey with all the fixings. With a large senior clientele, many of them alone or on a limited income, providing a quick, nutritious and inexpensive meal is a critical community service.
Prices are kept as low as possible. The shepherd’s pie, loaded with ground beef, peas, and corn with a cheese-topped potato crust, can feed four and is currently priced at $10.50.
“I try to keep it within reason,” Karen Kelly said.
She bases pricing on costs and just enough profit to support her family and small staff.
For those who long for the sweet treats that made the establishment’s reputation back when it was the Ginger Moose, John Kelly’s beautiful baked goods still fill the storefront case. Cream horns in chocolate or vanilla, with pastry so flaky it shatters. Spice cake with raisins, apples, molasses, and butter cream frosting. “Puffin’s nests,” piped full of chocolate and peanut butter.
The Savory Moose is already becoming something of an institution, one of the few places in town that serves food.
The Kellys know the members of the Nobleboro Fire Department, the staff of N.C. Hunt, and the guys from the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station by name. They stay in the know on local issues thanks to the Nobleboro town office staff who come in multiple times a week.
The convenient location and decent-sized parking lot make the restaurant an easy in-and-out stop for commuter traffic from Waldoboro, Bristol, Newcastle, or Jefferson.
With all those customers it’s not uncommon for popular items to run out. On occasion Savory Moose has closed its doors early. But that’s part of the business plan. The goal is to come as close as possible to selling out, to limit waste and to ensure the product is always high quality, always fresh from scratch every morning.
According to staff member Meg Tschaikowsky, Karen Kelly has built up not just a bond but a level of trust with her customers because “what she does is delicious.”
Whenever she tries out a new recipe, customers are likely to give it a chance, even when it’s something exotic like African peanut soup or chicken pozole verde, a Mexican stew with tomatillos and hominy.
Her posts on Facebook can turn into conversations as she interacts with followers.
“What do you want? What are you interested in?” or “This is what I’m doing. What do you think?”
She updates information in real time. Followers know when the lemon blueberry scones are available or that today they can get the sausage and kale soup. They know as soon as the customer-favorite cornbread comes out of the oven and they call right away to reserve a loaf.
At the Savory Moose the front door opens throughout the morning as people drop by for a Danish pastry, a cup of coffee, or to pick up something easy for dinner later. The atmosphere is relaxed, conversational, talking about the recent snow storm or browsing the prints and greeting cards with whimsical art by Jordan Kelly’s wife, Hillary.
Almost everyone is a regular, greeted by name.
“When we originally opened I didn’t want to have advertising or anything,” Karen Kelly said.
She wasn’t interested in casting a wide net for customers.
“I wanted to be the neighborhood place and it has worked out that way,” she said.
Savory Moose, at 16 East Pond Road in Nobleboro, is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, call 563-6050 or follow Savory Moose on Facebook.
(Bisi Cameron Yee is a freelance photojournalist based in Nobleboro. To contact her, email cameronyeephotography@gmail.com.)
