Main Street Business

Sarah Khoshaba never meant to become a restaurateur. She had been working in the music industry, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, the venue that she was managing quickly shuttered its doors. She very suddenly found herself with too much free time. 

Sarah, who had always loved cooking, quickly turned to making soup. What started as something to keep her busy during lockdown, turned into a real, thriving business. Dubbed the “Soup Queen,” Sarah began selling soup through Instagram, then through pop-ups at bars and coffee shops around Brooklyn, before progressing to open her own brick-and-mortar deli – Gunther’s, named for one of her dogs – on Seneca Avenue in Queens. 

“I guess you could say I accidentally found my dream career,” she mused. “Looking back, it’s funny how one unexpected detour completely changed my life. It eventually led me here – to Elizaville, NY, – and now I’m lucky enough to be writing the next chapter with Kiki’s.” 

The right time 

Sarah has always loved venturing upstate with her dogs. For years, they would spend weekends hiking, exploring towns, and enjoying being outside away from the hustle and bustle. “I felt like I had one foot out the door of New York City, but my close friends and family kept me rooted there,” she says. “My mom lives about an hour outside the city in New Jersey, and my sister is still in Brooklyn, so it wasn’t an easy decision. But the Hudson Valley always felt like home every time I visited.”

Eventually, the opportunity to bring Kiki’s to Elizaville was the push that Sarah needed to finally make the move, and she hasn’t looked back. She initially came across the listing for the former Elizaville Diner a few years ago, right after the longtime owners put the space on the market. And while Sarah completely fell in love with it, she wasn’t in the position to take on a project of that caliber. A few short years later, though, the space found its way back into her life. 

“This time, the timing was right. I couldn’t stop thinking about what the building had been to the community and what it could be again,” she says. 

Why Kiki’s, you ask? Sarah named her first shop after her dog Gunther, so it only felt fair that her pup Kiki now got her chance to shine, too. “They’re both such a huge part of my life, and I wanted the names to feel personal,” she says. “Kiki’s isn’t just a business name. It feels like home, and I hope that’s exactly how people feel when they walk through the door.”

Kiki’s Convenience, the adjoining deli and store space, opened in the beginning of May and stocks all the goodies you might need. On the shelves, you can find snacks, drinks, local treats, everyday essentials, and grab-and-go meals. Sarah notes, “if you came in for one thing, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll leave with five. I don’t make the rules.” 

Now, all of Sarah’s focus is on reviving the diner. As of the writing of this article, the grand opening of Kiki’s Elizaville Diner is set for Sunday, July 26 – which holds dual meaning as it is also Kiki’s birthday!

Bringing the diner back to life

The former Elizaville Diner has had a bit of a complicated history. It  opened in 2006, after its then owners traveled to Pennsylvania to rescue the Kullman Dutchess prefabricated car from its scheduled demolition. They owned and operated it for many years, but it was taken over by new owners in 2023 and abruptly closed in 2024. 

Sarah recognizes the special connection many locals have to the diner, noting, “I don’t think you replace history, you build on it. My goal isn’t to erase what people loved about this place. It’s to bring that feeling back while adding new reasons to fall in love with it all over again. Hopefully, old memories and new memories can sit at the same table.”

If the menu at Kiki’s Convenience is enough to go by, guests can expect to see all of the classics on the diner menu, too. All with a little flair, of course. “I ask myself one question: ‘Would I order this?’ If the answer is no, it doesn’t make the menu,” Sarah says. “I love comfort food with a little personality. Familiar enough to make you nostalgic, but interesting enough that you can’t stop thinking about it.” 

On the deli menu currently, you can find classics from breakfast sandwiches and burritos to an array of cold and hot sandwiches and burgers for lunch. On Thursdays through Sundays, Kiki’s has pizza classics, as well as fun orders like Kiki’s Special, a vodka, mozzarella, and sweet sausage pizza; the Rippin’ Roe Jan; or the Forager’s Friend, topped with the chef’s choice of mushrooms. There’s always the option to build your own sandwich or pizza, and of course, you can find a rotating selection of soup on the menu and in the grab-and-go case at all times.

Sarah notes that, “Great food starts with great ingredients, and it’s even better when your neighbors make them!” With an array of farms, bakeries, and producers nearby, it makes it easy to source locally. Currently, Kiki’s sources its bread from Filli’s Bakery over in Claverack, eggs from Speckle Ridge Farm in Germantown, dairy from Ronnybrook in Pine Plains, and ice cream from Del’s Dairy Farm in Red Hook. 

A community mainstay 

For Sarah, recognizing familiar faces, learning everyone’s go-to order, and watching Kiki’s become part of people’s daily routine has been the most rewarding part of running the business. “It’s also been really rewarding finding new ways to be involved in the community, whether that’s supporting local events, partnering with other small businesses, or just being a place where neighbors stop to catch up,” she says. “My goal has always been for Kiki’s to feel like more than just a convenience store or diner. I want it to be a place that people feel proud to have in their town.” 

Next on the to-do list is getting the diner doors open to the community, and beyond that, Sarah hopes that Kiki’s will become a place that is woven into everyday life. Whether it’s morning coffee, lunch with friends, dinner after a soccer game, or stopping in to grab a gallon of milk, she wants Kiki’s to be a part of all of it. 

“Opening a business is exciting, terrifying, exhausting, and rewarding all at once,” she shares. “Every person who’s stopped in, left a review, offered encouragement, or even just said, ‘welcome to town,’ has helped make Kiki’s what it is. We’re still growing, we’re still learning, and we’re having a lot of fun. I hope everyone feels like Kiki’s is their place, whether you’re here every day or it’s your first visit.” •

Kiki’s Convenience and Kiki’s Elizaville Diner is located at 573 E Kerley Corners Road, Elizaville, NY. Kiki’s is open from 6am-8pm on Mondays through Fridays, and 8am-8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, visit kikisconvenience.com and keep up with them on Instagram at @kikisconvenienceny and @kikiselizavillediner.