Stachowski Plans to Launch Name-Brand Charcuterie Line

After his unceremonious departure last month at Thirsty Bernie Sports Bar & Grill, Jamie Stachowski has been working to launch his own name-brand charcuterie company. Well, maybe not a name-brand company. It seems the chef’s partner in this venture, Mitch Berliner, is afraid nobody can pronounce Stachowski.

Stachowski’s not buying that argument. To him, a number of commercial makers of cured meats and pates, companies like D’Artagnan’s to Les Trois Petits Cochons (which incidentally just means “three little pigs,” folks), have “difficult names that are hard to pronounce.”

Whatever the final name, Stachowski and Berliner, owner of Berliner Specialty Distributors, are currently searching for a USDA-approved processing-and-packaging facility. Berliner, the man who essentially introduced D.C. to gourmet ice cream, is the bringing the marketing muscle to this partnership, Stachowski says.

Stachowski could sells his meats to local chefs and specialty shops, he says, but Berliner can sell them to major grocery chains, like Whole Foods. “He knows the people,” Stachowski says. “He knows the contacts.”

The chef hopes to launch the company early next year.

Tags: Berliner Specialty Distributors, charcuterie, cured meats, Jamie Stachowski, Thirsty Bernie