By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
These days, the term “experience” has taken a front-and-center position in the language of our culture, whether it’s referring to something as varied as a restaurant all the way to re-inventing oneself. In Deborah Thomason’s case, it means both. Deborah got a degree in kinesiology, and traveled widely in the lower 48 while helping in her sister’s business. Eventually, she built her own highly successful fitness training business. She made fitness videos, had a TV show, large corporate accounts where she would coach employees, and was sought after as a personal trainer. She married, had four boys, and became a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled, and personal fitness training continued to occur occasionally and intentionally while she raised her kids.
Then Deborah found herself in the position of becoming a single mom, and had no desire to “go to work” and have someone else raise her boys. So, prayerfully she moved to the Harvest area from southern Tennessee, found a house that had a garage, which she then re-purposed as a fitness studio. Business grew to the point that she needed to find another facility, and not far was a much larger place that had been everything from a biker bar to a sales center for tornado shelters, located in Toney. Once again, after a great deal of prayer, she and the boys (along with some friends) cleaned up the place, hung out the Total Transformation Training shingle, and she was back to building fitness and changing lives.
However, the day came when, as much as she loved it, she just felt “done” with doing fitness fulltime. COVID had hit, business had dried up, and as always, she needed to consider the needs of her sons. Deborah happened to love Taziki’s Restaurant and knew the owners well. She told them how when was younger she had thought about owning her own restaurant, and the folks at Taziki’s invited Deborah to come and apprentice. She learned everything from prepping vegetables to cooking to “all things restaurant business,” and while she was not planning on opening a Greek restaurant, she wanted a menu that was fresh, and friendly, and a place that was “Cheers-like” and clean like “Monica-in-Friends-type” clean.
For a full year, Deborah researched names, and finally came upon the stylized spelling of “savvy” in the form of “Savie.” Savvy can mean knowledgeable, wise, and in the Urban dictionary, “a girl who seems to have everything figured out, loves life, is adventurous, and flexible.” Deborah will be the first to tell you that she does not have everything figured out, but she has a charming café by the name of Savie, located on Highway 53 in Toney. They opened in 2023, and besides the restaurant, she has a catering business, an event center, and is doing a bit of fitness as well.
The menu has home-baked items, all kinds of coffees, frappes, smoothies, and kombuchas. There are muffins, bagels, croissants, and waffles. Flatbreads range from cheese to veggie to BBQ pork. Sandwiches and melts have exotic names such as Cuban, Sicilian, Phoenix, and good old-fashioned grilled cheese. Wraps range from turkey bacon and avocado to basil pesto along with hummus, the latter two being vegetarian. There are a lot of gluten-free options. And, as the menu promises, “any wrap can be a sandwich, and any sandwich can be a wrap.”
Ahhh…and let us now talk about the desserts. Tiramisu cake, chocolate ganache brownie cheesecake, and for folks like me who can’t do the gluten, there is Chocolate Dreamin’ Cake, and that’s just the beginning.
Deborah has a heart to train up young people as part of her staff, and she has high standards. First of all, I will tell you that the restaurant kitchen is so clean that it looks like it is brand new and has never been used. Everyone who works there adheres to what Deborah calls the “Savie Sparkle Policy,” and it shows. When she hires staff, (and she is currently looking for a kitchen manager) she runs them through what she calls her Four Pillars of Success. They are 1. Be a good worker, 2. Be prepared to clean, 3. Have a positive attitude, 4. Be respectful of self and others. Deborah describes herself as a leader, not a boss, and while she requires her staff to address her as ma’am, she returns the favor. If they say, “Miss Deborah, I need you to help with XYZ, please,” her response will be, “Yes, ma’am, I am on it.” If prospective hires are good with high standards, then everyone benefits, including the customers.
It must be working, because they have gotten more than 90 five-star reviews, and have only been open a little more than a year. It is worth the drive, and you will love everything from the “food to the friendly.” Deborah describes it as the “Savie Experience,” and it is my kind of place. You need to make it yours as soon as you can.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
September 6, 2024
