This combination sandwich shop and coffee bar is housed in the former Charlie's Crepes location on South Center Street and serves handmade dishes made with home-grown ingredients and locally roasted coffee.
Matt Skoufalos April 23, 2024
Ryan Budd (left) of Time Kitchen and Matt Gargano, owner of Hallowed Grounds Coffee Company. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
It started with a conversation at Pittman's Laurel Market, where chef Ryan Budd traded homemade mozzarella and Matt Gargano's freshly roasted coffee.
The two were among the busiest vendors at the market, with Bud, a self-proclaimed coffee addict, hawking fresh salad dressings, jams and baked goods.
Gargano, a novice barista, was pouring fresh drinks from a mobile cart he had just launched.
“We stayed in touch for so long that we talked to each other about opening something together someday, but we probably never thought it would happen,” Budd said.
“Three years later, I stumbled upon this listing and knew Matt would be interested. It all happened very quickly.”
Gargano entered Laurel Market to sell heirloom organic produce grown at Evergreen Valley Acres, his half-acre organic farm in Sewell.
“I love growing. I hate corporate farming,” he said. “I’m all for small-scale farming and that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”
But when Laurel Market needed a coffee vendor, Gargano and his fiancée Christine Caltabiano decided to take on the challenge. At that moment, Hallowed Grounds Coffee Company was born. Its name comes from the veterans' philanthropy and interest in land conservation. Gargano's own Hands to Heroes Foundation raises money to help train veterans in small-scale organic farming.
Hallowed Grounds quickly grew into a traveling fair trade and organic coffee business from Delaware to New York, opening at corporate and special events. This is supported by products from Jenkintown's White Horse Coffee Roasters and from Cara His Tea, with which Gargano partnered with Westville Brewing His Company to open Outpost Café.
Hallowed Grounds in Merchantville will offer a full espresso menu, cold brew, nitro cold brew and tea. Seltzers, non-alcoholic cocktails, and specialty drinks. Gargano said they will use homemade fruit purees and fresh local ingredients whenever possible. He also plans to provide fresh produce for use in Time He's Kitchen & Catering, which is Budd's food division.
Potato breakfast sandwich. Credit: Time Kitchen & Catering.
Fresh off two-time Gloucester County Award of Excellence awards, Pittman's Ryan and Amanda Budd have built a reputation for their quick-service comfort food at Time Kitchen & Catering.
Their business, similar to Hallowed Grounds, is based in Laurel Market and has evolved from a kiosk operating out of a pizzeria to a concept that the Budds feel ready to strike out on their own.
Thyme Kitchen will focus on home-grown ingredients and home-cooked dishes and will sell breakfast, lunch and grab-and-go meals out of its Merchantville storefront.
From soups and specialty salads to sandwiches and heat-and-eat dishes, Chef Ryan Budd believes the audience that loved their food at Pittman will find its way to Camden County as well.
“Everyone I talked to was so excited they didn't even know the scope of what we wanted to do,” he said. “They’re excited about something new and I have great expectations for the area.”
The Bazs will bake their own sandwich bread, make their own cheese and source other ingredients from local producers and vendors. Breakfast sandwiches center around house-made specialty eggs, freshly ground sausage smash patties, and black pepper candied pork belly braised bacon.
Other areas of expertise benefit from the preparation Ryan Budd has honed over the years. His fresh avocado toast is whipped with goat cheese and topped with chunks of crabmeat and citrus frisée. His homemade tomato chutney complements the fresh mozzarella sandwiches. The charred butter drop biscuit is topped with a rotating selection of dips.
“It's a cliché, but I cook the food that I want to eat,” he said. “We're very reasonable and you get a lot for your price point. That's been our business model for a while.”
The business aims to be open by late April or early May, with an emphasis on early morning to midday hours. Probably from 6:30am to 2:30pm. Both couples believe in the immense potential of the Trellis Plaza location and hope to find a niche serving breakfast, lunch and beverages in the space there.
Hallowed Grounds Coffee Company and Thyme Kitchen and Catering are located at 177 South Center Street in Merchantville. For more information, visit Hallowed Grounds and Thyme Kitchen online.
