Celeb Shot: Saucy Suraci
Is foodie Kristen Suraci the Capital Region's most reluctant influencer? PLUS: the fate of the Regents exam, our fave local doughnut, new horse racing merch and more.
The very first @saucysuraci Instagram post I remember seeing was a list of Capital Region restaurants open on Mondays. My first thought? Damn, I should’ve done that. But while I know Saratoga’s restaurant scene inside and out, I’m clueless when it comes to Schenectady, Troy or Albany. Kristen “Saucy” Suraci, the Schenectady native behind the account—which in the last year and a half has grown to nearly 20,000 followers—isn’t.
“That was one list that popped off,” Kristen says of the viral Restaurants Open on Mondays one (she’s since reposted an updated version). “The lists are fun and people really like them. They’re just a lot of work.” Other recent lists she’s published to her account? Where to get fish fry on Fridays, restaurants with fireside dining, and where to watch football in the 518 (her list was considerably more comprehensive than mine).
Compiling the lists and making Reels highlighting different locally owned bars, restaurants and businesses is a lot of work, especially for someone who didn’t set out to be a content creator. “I personally cringe a little bit when people call me an influencer,” she says. “If you told me a year ago that I would have almost 20,000 followers, I would’ve been like haha, no. I understand I am influencing people to go to certain places, but I tend to call myself a small business supporter. That feels better to me.”
Whatever you call her, I wanted to learn more about her “accidental” rise to local Instagram fame, so I asked if she’d like to get coffee or drinks. “Both?” she replied. “Espresso martini?” (Yes, she has a Best Espresso Martinis in the 518 list.) The next day, she ordered an espresso martini at the Seneca bar, and we began.
KS: I didn’t realize this was my thing, but people will send me videos of the best espresso martini in California and be like, “Saw this and thought of you!” And it’s people I don’t even know—just people that follow me.
SLAH: You’re the poster child for espresso martinis.
KS: I don’t know how I got to be that person, but here we are.
SLAH: OK, so tell me a little about yourself.
KS: I’m from Guilderland and I pretty much lived here my whole life. I moved to Charleston, SC for a couple of years after school. I was a producer in the news business right out of college, but now I’m a project manager for a tech company during the day. That’s my 9-5.
SLAH: How did the Saucy Suraci persona and brand come to be?
KS: Not on purpose—I’ll tell you that. I always loved going to new restaurants and bars, and I became the person in my group of family and friends that everyone would reach out to if they’re going to brunch or on a date, or if they’re going to be in Latham for dinner or Troy for a drink. People just saw that I was always trying new spots. And one day I was like, maybe I’ll start posting about it and people will stop calling me all the time. It didn’t work. They still call, so it was kind of a failure. But it honestly just grew very organically.
SLAH: Was there a moment when you realized Saucy Suraci could actually turn into something?
KS: My dad and I were at Jacob & Anthony’s for dinner and the girl seating us was like, “You’re Saucy, aren’t you? Oh my gosh, I love your page.” And my dad just looks at me and he’s like, “What the hell is going on right now? How does she know you?” And now, because he’s been in my videos—I call him Papa Sauce—people notice him now and come up to him. I mean, it doesn’t happen all the time. I’m not that popular. But every once in a while it happens. Even I forget how much the page is growing and then I have those little moments where I’m like, “Oh, people care about what I’m saying. Interesting.”
SLAH: What’s the best thing to come out of the page?
KS: The most rewarding part is to hear from these business owners—hear their stories and all the cool things that are happening in the place that I grew up in. I was talking to my friend Lee, who owns Scotia Sweets. She’s from Wisconsin. Her friends came to visit and they were saying there are so many non-chain places here. They’re like, we’ve never been to a place that has so many local, mom and pop shops. And I never really thought about it because I’m from here. But it’s really awesome that we have this community where businesses like that can thrive.
SLAH: What’s your favorite bar or restaurant you’ve covered on your page?
KS: I can’t pick a favorite. But I’ll tell you my favorite cocktail in the 518. This is a shameless plug: The Saucy Suraci cocktail at 353 in Troy. It’s Tito’s vodka, because that’s my go-to, raspberry passionfruit syrup, orange bitters and club soda. I wanted it to be a drink that you want to keep drinking all night.
SLAH: When you come to Saratoga, where do you make sure to go?
KS: Seneca for the Parker House rolls—100 percent. I love the vodka sauce at Chianti. My idea of a night out in Saratoga would be going to The Adelphi and having a cocktail at the bar. I also want Dave Portnoy to buy Gaffney’s and make it a Barstool bar. I’d go there.
SLAH: OK, we’re about to get deeper. What’s currently inspiring you?
KS: The female business owners that I work with. There are so many women that I’ve found that are so willing to give you ideas and support and just go out of their way for you. The more I see that, the more I want to keep going. Because sometimes I’m like, I’m going to shut this thing down. This is annoying. There’s always a comment—somebody always has something negative to say, and I’m like, this is just not what this is about for me. The whole idea is to support the businesses in my community and the second it gets away from that, I lose interest.
SLAH: What does “saucy” mean to you?
KS: It’s so funny because I feel like people hear saucy and think sauce—like tomato sauce. And I mean, I love tomato sauce. So many people are like, “You should make your own sauce!” But I think being saucy is a lifestyle—like being fun, being sassy, being spicy.
SLAH: You should do a Best Sauces list.
KS: Maybe I should. That’s actually a good idea. I’m going to add that to my list.
SLAH: What else is on the list of list ideas?
KS: I want to do a food truck one. Best rooftops. Places to work with wi-fi. A new mom reached out to me and she wanted a list of places where you can do drive-through or curbside pickup that’s not fast food.
SLAH: Besides those lists, what does the future of Saucy Suraci hold?
KS: I never imagined it would be a full-time thing, but now I’m seeing the possibility of it. I want there to be more that I offer before I make it full-time. I feel like I’m on the verge of figuring out what direction I want to take it in. I don’t want to just be an influencer. I feel like the Saucy brand needs to provide more. And once I figure out what that “more” is, I could see myself doing it full-time. I will say mental health is a cause that I’m very passionate about, and I do want to rope that into this page somehow.
SLAH: Do you have any mantras or quotes that you live by?
I feel like I’m such a cheesy human being, but “One day at a time.” Life can really suck sometimes, but just take everything one day at a time and keep moving forward. No matter how small or big the steps you’re taking are, you’ll eventually get to where you want to be. Oh, and stay saucy.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“If anyone goes to the library without me ever again I’m going to scream.”
—Overheard at Target
Regent Reject?
For more than 150 years, New Yorkers have been required to pass Regents exams in order to graduate from high school. That may change, the New York State Department of Education’s Board of Regents announced on Monday. In place of the mandatory state-wide tests, the board has proposed a new system that will assess students’ readiness to graduate based criteria including on critical thinking, problem solving, communication; and redefine credits so that they can be earned in ways other than through time-specified units. The Regents tests won’t be removed entirely—they’ll just become optional. More info on the plan’s implementation is expected to be available come November.
What We’re Eating
In honor of Kristen being a foodie from Schenectady, I’d like to share with you quite possibly the best dessert I’ve had since becoming vegan: The black sesame brownie doughnut from Take Two Cafe on State Street. You’re welcome.
Newspaper Print
If you’re a horse racing fan who wants to wear your passion for losing money on your sleeve, literally, then we’ve got the collab for you. Old Smoke Clothing—maker of those saddle cloth polos you see all over the track—has partnered with the Daily Racing Form—maker of many a degenerate gambler. (We’re just kidding. Kind of.) This week, the duo released a new line of trackwear featuring the DRF logo. Choose from a polo with a small DRF, a t-shirt with a large DRF or a polo with DRF written literally all over it.
Breakfast Club
Looking to grab breakfast in the Spa City, but aren’t in the mood for diner food? Saratoga Arms Hotel is now open for breakfast from 7:30-10:30am seven days a week, even if you’re not staying there. Utilizing local ingredients including Eggs from Elihu Farm, yogurts from Argyle Cheese Farmer and milk from Battenkill Valley, the breakfast menu boasts Light Fare (lemon poppy bread, steel cut oatmeal and avocado toast), Savory Beginnings (eggs Benedict, open face breakfast sandwich and Saratoga Scramble) and Sweet Start (blood orange maple French toast, lemon ricotta pancakes and classic challah bread French toast). And don’t forget to wash it down with a selection of hot or iced coffee and tea or a breakfast cocktail!
Best of the Besties
In case you were unaware, the Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living magazine teams are one and the same! On Tuesday, we donned our CRL hats for Bestie Fest, one of our biggest events to date. The party, actually an awards ceremony for the 2024 Bestie winners, welcomed more than 300 owners and employees of locally owned businesses to The Hangar at 743 for an evening of drinking, dining and celebrating. NEWS10 ABC’s Bestie-winning reporters Lydia Kulbida and Christina Arangio served as the evening’s hosts, and handed out more than 100 Besties to some of the most deserving local business owners. Keep an eye on crlmag.com to see our photo gallery from the evening!
ICYMI
Our must-read Saratoga foodie news update