The former chef-owner of lauded South Portland restaurant Judy Gibson aims to open Sawyer’s Butcher & Delicatessen in Old Port this summer.
Sawyer’s will launch in the former Thistle & Grouse restaurant at 10 Cotton St. The two-story venue has 2,200 square feet on each floor. Wilcox said he’ll use the second floor for private events and butchery classes.
Sawyer’s will be a whole-animal butcher shop with a full-service butcher counter, offering beef, pork, lamb and chicken all sourced directly from Maine farms. The store will also offer counter service lunch, with sandwiches and prepared foods made with house-made deli meats, hot dogs, sausages and charcuterie.
“Working in restaurants for 23 years, I’m tired of getting home at 11 o’clock or midnight and that whole lifestyle associated with it,” Wilcox said. “But I still love cooking, charcuterie and butchery, and want to be my own boss again. It’s a good fit for what I’m trying to do with my career and my time.”
Wilcox said the previous tenants did a lot of work on the space, so it doesn’t need major renovations, though he’s giving it an aesthetic overhaul. He hopes to be open by July, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“As locally focused as Portland is and Maine as a whole, it’s kind of surprising that there isn’t something like this in Portland already,” Wilcox said.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Tim Cebula can be reached at [email protected].
