Construction is now under way for new business Nourish ETX Gourmet Market, Tasting Room & Kitchen. The business has a projected opening date of November 1 and will be located at 112 East 8th Street in the Bergfeld Center.

Tylerites will soon be able to experience a fresh and unique way of shopping and dining. Nourish ETX Gourmet Market, Tasting Room & Kitchen is set to open in November providing the Tyler area with difficult to find gourmet food items including imported and domestic wines, cheeses, spices, grains, cured meats, and dry-good items.

Owner Jeannie Conneen started her career in nursing but soon realized it wasn’t her calling. After leaving the nursing field, Conneen went on to a position at popular East Texas winery Kiepersol. There she assisted in developing their food and wine pairing program and worked in the winery during harvest season.

“I had dreamed for many years of opening a gourmet food store and the wine business fell in line with the gourmet shop idea,” she said. “The kitchen component developed out of necessity for (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) requirement of food service with sales of wine.”

In January of 2022, Conneen, out of a passion for supporting local farmers and producers, developed and built the website www.nourishetx.com.

The site helps connect consumers in the East Texas region with farmers.

“In March of 2022, I started the first REKO Ring in East Texas. A REKO Ring is an online farmers market providing easy and convenient sales for farmers and shopping for consumers. The Nourish ETX REKO Ring, now named Tyler Farm to Table REKO Ring, has nearly 5,000 members with average weekly sales of $4,000,” she said. “The Tyler Ring has just celebrated its first year with annual sales exceeding $205,000.”

“Those sales went directly to the producers. There are now six REKO Rings in our region helping farmers and other producers expand,” Conneen said. “These producers will be the foundation for the Kitchen and Market offerings at the new business thereby keeping East Texas dollars circulating in East Texas.”

In addition to imported products, the store will highlight, promote and encourage consumption of products produced locally by food producers in East Texas.

“Nourish ETX will serve the rapidly growing community of Tyler and cater to the home-cook who is interested in sourcing local products as well as difficult to find ingredients not available in the East Texas area. Cheeses will highlight dairies from across the state and beyond,” Conneen said. “Regional wines and craft beers will be available with suggested pairings and recipes featuring products available in the store.”

The Tasting Room component of the store will provide the customer with an opportunity to “try before you buy” wine. Tastings will consist of five 1-ounce pours of a carefully curated list of wine.

Monthly tasting programs will take the guests on a tour of different wine regions with descriptive, educational guides of the region. Special events and classes will be held occasionally to give the customer opportunities to learn more about wine and pairing.

“Finally, the kitchen will be relatively small, consisting of 16 seats. Unique offerings not typical of other restaurants in the area will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday,” Conneen said. “The menu will be small and change seasonally. Menu items will be thoughtfully paired with wine suggestions.”

Conneen said Nourish ETX Gourmet Market and Tasting Room is a specialty food and wine store that seeks to provide the community with unique items that will transport the consumer to both local farms and distant locations while nourishing the mind, body, and soul of our East Texas friends and neighbors.

Conneen has a projected date of Nov. 1 for the opening of Nourish ETX Gourmet Market, Tasting Room & Kitchen. The business will be located at 112 East 8th Street in the Bergfeld Center.

For more information, visit the Nourish ETX Facebook page or go to www.nourishetx.com.