ABOUT

Sav grew up in Guinea, located on the west coast of Africa, and gleaned his cooking skills from his talented mother and sisters. Sav met his wife, Rachel, when she was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea. They moved to Lexington, Kentucky, Rachel's home prior to Peace Corps life, and started their family.

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Sav spent many years cooking and grilling for family and friends, and finally made his dream come true by opening his own restaurant on South Limestone Street in 2008. He then jumped into the ice cream-making business, opening Sav's Chill across the street from his restaurant four years later.

After years of running back and forth across the street, Sav wished to find a location that could combine the restaurant and ice cream business. Serendipity revealed a spot on Main Street close to Sav's home that could reach a broader section of the town. The new location of restaurant and ice cream combined opened in December 2019.

We all know that the world changed just 3 months later. Sav's Restaurant & Gourmet Ice Cream struggled through the pandemic times, with grants from federal and local entities, with huge gratitude. Sav built a gorgeous outdoor dining arbor to accommodate the safety protocols, and planted 17 trees on the property that previously had only concrete and blacktop surrounding the building. Sav wanted to dedicate the space to Jake Gibbs, his council member who was a loyal customer and advisor to Sav on business working within city ordinances et al. Sadly, Jake passed away suddenly in March 2020. Community assistance came as Jake's Garden took on a life of its own and funds were raised to help with expenses of tree planting.

By the summer of 2022, after having to reduce the hours of the restaurant, by more than half, due to employee shortages, combined with surging grocery prices, Sav made the decision to let the restaurant go and focus on his other businesses which include his food products, Sav's Piment habanero sauce and Sav's Vinaigrette, salad dressing and marinade, as well as the ice cream. Sav's Chill has expanded as more wholesale accounts are buying from Sav for scooping as well as in pints. He also runs Sav's Chill Wagon at festivals and private events.

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Availability of Sav's Chill Ice Cream:

By the scoop:

Keeneland

KY Artisan Center in Berea

Chui’s Soda Pop Shop

Chocolate Holle

 

By the pint:

Good Foods Co-op

Wilson’s Grocery

 

        In Restaurants: 

Coles

Eppings

Carsons

Burnaco’s

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To book an event for Sav's Chill Wagon to come serve (minimum of 100 servings) email SavsReina@gmail.com

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Availability of

Sav's Piment

 

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By the Bottle:

SavsLex.com to ship to you

Good Foods Co-op

Wilson’s Grocery 

Zim’s Cafe

 

In restaurants: 

Good Fella’s Pizza hot ranch dipping sauce

Rolling Oven Pizza

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Availability of

Sav's Vinaigrette

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SavsLex.com to ship to you

Good Foods Co-op

Wilson’s Grocery 

Zim’s Cafe

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