Mr. Meat Market is expanding with a market-style store in Chatham.
Two business owners in the Windsor area have partnered together to bring Mercato Fresh to the area. Marc Romualdi, the owner of Mr. Meat Market, and Jonathan Reaume, the owner of Toscana Restaurant, plan on creating a different-style shopping experience in the area.
The new store is expected to be approximately 15,000 square feet and located at the corner of Keil Drive North and Grand Avenue West, at the former Target location. The store will be beside the upcoming Plant Fitness location, which is expected to open in November. However, Mercato Fresh is expected to officially open in October.
According to Romualdi, they couldn't be happier to come to the area and believe that Chatham is the perfect location for their new concept.
"Chatham's s fairly under-serviced and we felt that that area in particular, where the old Target was, was also an extremely underserviced area being that there's a lot of residential in the area, a lot of senior citizens that may not be able to get out to some of these other stores. We just thought it would be a prudent location for us to be in," he said.
The incoming store will include departments such as produce, dairy, deli, Tiki Ted Sushi, a daily fresh in-store bakery, gourmet hot foods and the fresh meat Mr. Meat customers are familiar with. Romualdi said Reaume will oversee the production of the hot foods available in the restaurant. He promises a unique and alternating menu of ready-to-eat items in addition to classics like a rotisserie chicken.
"I've known John for seven or eight years now," explained Romualdi. "Johnathan has always been my favourite chef of choice. He owns Toscana Reteraunt in Windsor, which I would think is one of Windsor's best restaurants. He brings a certain class to the table and he's a phenomenal, talented and passionate chef.
Romualdi said they plan to bring dozens of jobs with the new store opening and hope to start the hiring process in September.
"We're looking to create for Chatham, another 40 jobs," he said. "There's going to be 50 employees in the store. Five of those are going to be taken up by management from the Windsor-area but the other 45 will pretty much be all Chatham."
Romualdi said besides just being a place for people to shop, they're seeking to become a vital part of Chatham-Kent.
"We want to be an integral part of the Chatham-Kent community," said Romualdi. "One thing we're strong advocates for is giving back, that's something we will prove in the future. We want to be heavily involved in the community, a part of baseball, hockey, soccer, anything that has to do with Chatham and the surrounding area."