Growing up in Old Lyme, Connecticut, Allison Crist learned how to make traditional New England fare from her mom, dad and grandmother. But it wasn’t until recently that Crist decided to cook for a living.
“My mom didn’t make anything out of the box and nothing came out of the freezer,” she said, noting that Swedish meatballs, stuffed pork chops and lobster were among the family favorites.
Crist moved to Tucson in 1995 to attend the University of Arizona. She earned a degree in psychology with a double minor in sociology and family studies in 2000. She got married and had two kids and did a lot of entertaining, including events as the vice president of the parent teacher organization at her sons’ school.
“Everyone always ranted and raved about how good my cooking was and that I should really do something with it,” she said.
Citing the desire to fill a New England niche in the downtown corridor, Crist opened The Hopyard Deli and Market, 210 N. Fourth Ave., last March. The bodega-style deli market sells grinder sandwiches, salads and groceries, among other offerings.
“We just really noticed over the last four of five years that downtown was going to turn a circle with the tram,” she said. “Back home, it’s very common to have somewhere where you can buy fresh fruit, buy a sandwich or cold cuts or boxed cereal.”
Crist orders the deli meats from a provider, but hand slices it herself. She also prepares the salads, deli sides, sauces and meatballs from scratch. A French pastry chef delivers the bread every morning.
“We tried to single ourselves out by doing everything really, really fresh,” she said. “Just really so much the way we grew eating.”
Crist said her long-term goal is to open another location, but that’s probably 10-15 years away. For now, she just hopes to continue growing and bring life to the side of Fourth Avenue.
“It’s really starting to happen, so I’m just happy to be a part of that,” she said.
Allison Crist took some time to answer a few questions for us:
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
“My slicer. We do slice everything here, and I use that a lot.”
What is your worst kitchen experience?
“The lid was not on the 32-ounce container of pepper. The whole thing poured into my chicken soup. That was a pretty bad experience.”
What is one food you can’t bring yourself to eat?
“Intestines. A lot of Mexican markets around here will sell it. That I can’t bring myself to do.”
