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Prairie Village woman helps turn bacon and jam into a sassy small business

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Kay Findlay mans the Our Sassy Pantry table at the Overland Park Farmers Market.
Kay Findlay mans the Our Sassy Pantry table at the Overland Park Farmers Market.
By Mitch Kaskie

It all started with bacon.

About a year ago, Prairie Village resident Kay Findlay was approached by her cousin’s wife, Marisa Roberts, a trained chef. Roberts, who had been making her original “bacon jam” for family and friends, told Findlay she wanted to start selling it.

“We had lunch together to talk about the idea,” Findlay said. “And by the end of lunch, we had formed a company.”

And so Our Sassy Pantry was born. After having a taste testing for some family and friends, the two narrowed down the four flavors of jams they would begin to produce and sell — Bacon, Wicked Tomato, Blueberry Balsamic & Ancho Cherry.

In August of 2013, the company showcased their jam for the first time at Bacon-Fest, a competition put on by the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City. Our Sassy Pantry took home first place for their original bacon jam, and from there the company took off.

“We actually didn’t even know it was a contest,” Findlay said. “We just thought it was a way to provide samples, but we ended up getting a lot of interest from it.”

The company now has a kitchen in Kansas City, Kan., near the Legends, where they make and jar their jams by hand with no additives or artificial flavors. The jams are versatile and can be used to make anything from grilled cheese to grilled chicken.

“Our whole idea is jam isn’t just for toast,” Findlay said. “We like to show people how to use our jam to enhance their everyday dishes.”

Since then Our Sassy Pantry has expanded to eight retail locations around the metro area, including Prairie Village’s Better Cheddar.

About the author

Jay Senter
Jay Senter

Jay Senter is the founder and publisher of the Post.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he worked as a reporter and editor at The Badger Herald.

He went on to receive a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, where he earned the Calder Pickett Award. While he was in graduate school, he also worked as a reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World.

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