Chefs Quagliata and Ladner to Open Fast-Casual BBQ Spot Next Door to Village Butcher in Mayfield
By Douglas Trattner from Cleveland Scene
Carl Quagliata and Zack Ladner opened the doors to The Village Butcher (818 S.O.M. Center Rd., 440-565-7330) in Mayfield nearly two years ago. The neighborhood butcher shop has quickly become a destination for shoppers in search of imported pantry items, deli meats and cheeses, high-quality steaks and chops, and built-to-order sandwiches.
When the adjacent storefront came on the market a year ago, the owners decided to grab it, not knowing what plans they ultimately would have for it, explains Ladner.
“We knew that we wanted to expand our production space at the butcher shop, but we also wanted to have another storefront that was related to the butcher shop in some way,” he says.
The plans for the space came into focus this past winter after Quagliata and Ladner decided to close Smokin’ Q’s BBQ in Mayfield and replace it with Cuoco Bello (718 SOM Ctr. Rd., 440-646-0429), a homestyle Italian eatery. Given the soaring cost of food and labor, a full-service barbecue restaurant made less and less financial sense, Ladner noted at the time.
What does make financial sense, says Ladner, is counter-service barbecue. The meat-focused concept also happens to pair nicely with the butcher shop next door.
Ladner describes the forthcoming restaurant as “stripped down, bare bones, traditional Texas barbecue.” Unlike at Smokin’ Q’s, the smoked meats will be sold by the pound only and not in sandwiches, tacos or nachos. Like Smokin’ Q’s, the meats will be smoked over 100-percent hardwood. Guests can expect a roster of meats that includes brisket, pulled pork, ribs, burnt ends, turkey, sausage and chicken.
The meats will be carved to order and served traditionally, with sliced white bread, pickles and onions. The sides and sauces will be classic but tweaked.
“I think that’s more of what people want when they want barbecue,” Ladner says. “They want to walk up and see you carving the meats. I think it adds to the experience, but also, from a cost point of view, it’s significantly less expensive to operate like that. We want to keep it very simple and very straightforward. We want it to be fast and as affordable as we can.”
Ladner says that he and Quagliata have been hosting weekly BBQ pop-ups at the butcher shop and the food has been selling out in under two hours.
“There’s been a lot of excitement with it from our customers who come to the butcher shop,” he reports. “We’re excited, we’re looking forward to it and I think the community in Mayfield village is excited for it too.”
The owners are aiming for a mid-summer opening.
