Adam Sudmann is Market Manager of Salt City Market, a Food Hall & Public Market in Downtown Syracuse.
Adam began his career in food in 2001, directing and planning events for New York City’s oldest organic, locavore caterer, The Cleaver Company. In 2008, he moved into event direction for The Fat Radish / Silkstone group, primarily for fashion, auction and champagne houses.
Between work time and fun time (hitchhiking through India, Cameroon, Morocco, etc. in the off months) he got the idea for a multinational food court. That idea simmered for years. Eureka hit when visiting Syracuse’s Northside on a snowy day, seeing families from Congo and Nepal out braving the snow, grocery bags bulging.
In 2012 he relocated to Syracuse and began the My Lucky Tummy popup series, drawing talent from some 30+ countries and regularly topping 400 guests.
In 2016 he opened OCC’s With Love, an Entrepreneur Incubator and Teaching Restaurant featuring a new cuisine every 6 months, serving up the foods of Pakistan, Burma, Savannah, GA, Palestine, Vietnam and – in its final iteration – Somalia.
His role at Salt City Market feels like kismet: Connecting with and cultivating talented, driven food entrepreneurs to help build a vital piece of cultural infrastructure for Syracuse.
Tori Shires serves as the Chief Development Officer at the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse, NY. In her role, Tori leads the fundraising, events, volunteers, and marketing efforts for the organization. She has an enthusiasm for data, story-telling, and crafting new relationships.
Tori lives in Baldwinsville with her husband Nick, and two sons, Owen and Parker. The family enjoys visiting Major League Baseball stadiums – they have visited 14 on their quest to hit all 30! Inspired by the “do-good” mantra of the Policy Studies program at Syracuse University (her alma mater!), Tori has been an active participant in the greater Syracuse area – her current volunteer activities include board positions with the Baldwinsville Rotary Club, Little League, and McNamara PTA.
Jeremy DeChario graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in 2010. He moved to Syracuse to be with his long-time partner, and, having no idea what to do with a Liberal Arts degree, he got a part time job at the Co-op.
After filling multiple roles, he was hired as the Co-op’s General Manager in 2014. In his time as General Manager he has nearly doubled the sales at the original Kensington location, investing in improved infrastructure and expanding fresh departments. He opened the Co-op’s second location in the Salt City Market in 2021 after seven years of searching for a location in Syracuse’s Downtown neighborhood.
He currently serves on the Board of the Syracuse Onondaga Food Systems Alliance and is a Co-Director of Salt City DISHES, a community-based food-centric public arts microgrant dinner. He has served on the Board of the Friends of the Central Library, the Onondaga County Democratic Party. He is passionate about small-scale neighborhood grocery; supporting the local, organic food system; and growing the cooperative economy.
SOULutions is the vision of industry veteran Sleyrow Mason, who began cooking alongside his mother at the early age of 5. It was in the kitchen, with his mother, that he learned the basics of traditional southern dishes.
In his later years, Chef Sley Mason attended a culinary program offered by Syracuse’s Sydney Johnson Center. After completion, he began working in some of Syracuse’s finest restaurants, honing the skills he acquired as a Certified Grillmaster, Kitchen Manager and Sous Chef.
Upon the passing of his mother, Chef Sley began cooking for his family and friends as a way to keep them all connected.
Never in her wildest dreams did Duyen Nguyen expect to follow in her mother’s footsteps. While in Vietnam, her mom operated a successful bakery for more than 20 years. As a child, Nguyen dreaded the holidays and wedding seasons when her mom worked nonstop from sunrise to past midnight. By eighth grade, she enrolled Nguyen in baking courses but that lasted only a few months. Though she might not have been interested in baking at the time, she still loved frequenting the many cafes of Ho Chi Minh City and indulging in their drinks and desserts.
The café culture in Vietnam dates back to the French colonists, and it’s not just about the coffee they drink – but also the patisserie. Vietnamese cafes compete by offering the latest trending lattes, milk teas, smoothies, and unique pastries. When Nguyen and her family immigrated to Syracuse in 2012, Nguyen noticed that sweets were only an afterthought for most cafes.
While working at Roji Tea Lounge about six years ago, Nguyen started baking for the first time. She wanted her American friends to taste popular sweets commonly available at tea bars throughout Asia. She researched recipes and baked cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. Due to the popularity of her sweets at Roji, Nguyen was encouraged to expand their dessert and drink menus. Nguyen holds an associate’s degree in graphic design from Onondaga Community College. She is currently studying culinary management at OCC. Although she is now walking in her mother’s footsteps, she’s creating her own path. Nguyen says she bakes for the love of seeing others happy when they taste her creations.
“It encourages me to do better,” said Nguyen. “When I see other chefs make things that are beautiful and delicious, it motivates me to constantly improve myself.”