Stew Taylor has been waiting for this day for a long time. And now after years of wondering what it was going to be like, Taylor is opening the doors to the sandwich shop of his dreams.
Taylor and his fiancee, Amber Karaz, welcomed the public to Taylor’s Delicatessen January 6, executing a quick turn-around on an opportunity that presented itself only a few weeks ago.
“We were away on a trip to Costa Rica when our realtor, Shaun Pickering, messaged us to let us know this location was coming up,” Karaz said. “We both just said, ‘let’s go for it’, and we got it on November 19. We just went to work right away.”
Taylor said the space has good bones (having previously been home to The Planet Diner on Downie Street) and they were fortunate enough to have access to family members who could help with what needed to be done.
“We built out the cabinets, but we got lucky in having some very handy people in the family,” he said. “We pooled our brains together and made it happen. Amber’s dad is a carpenter at the Festival and her brother’s an electrician – we have had lots of help. Even our realtor, Shaun, was in here working on the walls and stocking our fridge with pop.”
Getting the bricks and mortar side of things ready was one thing, and Taylor (who until recently was the chef at Bijou until a fire there forced the business to close temporarily) said the menu was something they had been talking about for a while. The vibe at Taylor’s Delicatessen is going to be distinctly local because that’s who they want to serve the most. Whenever possible, they’ll bring in local produce for their menu and make what they can in-house. Of their bread offerings, only the sourdough rye and the gluten-free will be outsourced, and that’s being handled by Vann’s Bakery over on Douro Street.
“I have a background in charcuterie and fine dining, so all the sauces and some of the cured meats are going to be made in-house, and that’s going to grow as we go forward,” he said. “We’re just trying to make some good sandwiches that are a little unique and fresh and consistent … that’s what we want for the locals. We both grew up here, and we’ve felt for a while that this is something that’s been needed here.”
The indoor dining space won’t be huge – limited to approximately 12 seats – but Karaz hopes that they’ll have a patio in the warmer weather and be able to accommodate more people. But their business model is going to copy something akin to what coffee lovers might expect at Starbucks.
“You’ll come in and place your order and leave your name, something like ‘My name is Mike and I’d like the beef dip’,” Taylor said. “When it’s ready, either I or one of the girls will come out and bring it to you. You’ll be able to sit here and enjoy your sandwich or you can take it with you and go on about your day. We’ll also have online ordering with time stamps, so that will help a lot of the downtown people who have a short lunch break. They can order ahead and just come in and pick it up.”
Something that both Taylor and Karaz are pleased to be offering is a little perk for first responders who come in when they’re either on duty or in uniform: they’ll get a free combo (drink and side), part of the whole being there for the community the shop plans to build its culture around.
“Our hours are going to be Monday to Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and then Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.,” Karaz said. “So we’re aiming to help people with lunch but also be here when people are finishing up work and have something made fresh for them to take home with them.”
There are three parts to the Taylor’s Delicatessen menu: hot, cold, and Taylored Sammys. You’ll be able to grab a smoked turkey and bacon, a Planet sammy or ‘The Tony’ off the cold menu, while you can snag some cheese dumplings, a beef dip or the chorizo and egg from the hot menu. And while those hold the promise to make mouths water, Taylor is looking forward to people making their sandwiches their way.
“WIth the Taylored Sammies, you build it yourself: starting with the bread, then cheese and meat and veggies then sauce,” he said. “You can add double meat if you want, and then you can either get it hot or cold.”
Without giving away all the secrets (ask about the staff member who makes the dumplings and pierogies), Taylor and Karaz are excited to open the door to their dream for the whole community to enjoy.
“He and I always had a vision of doing a really awesome sandwich shop at some point with fresh-baked bread where every sandwich that comes out is still warm,” Karaz said. “We just can’t wait to share this with our town.”
