'Sandwich King' Is Bringing His First Shop To Bucktown

By Rachel Cromidas in Food on Aug 27, 2015 6:35PM

Jeff Mauro, the Food Network's so-called "Sandwich King" is opening a new sandwich-focused restaurant on Bucktown's Milwaukee Avenue that could be the flagship for a future franchise.

The casual restaurant, named Pork & Mindy's, will occupy the former space of Red Hen Bread (1623 N. Milwaukee Ave.) the Tribune reports. Mauro, who is known for his signature sauces—already for-sale at Mariano's and online—will be showing off some of the future menu items at the Bucktown Art Fest this weekend. Mauro himself is making a guest appearance from 12:30 to 2:30 Saturday.

Cofounder Kevin Corsello convinced Mauro to open the restaurant—his first, despite other offers. Mauro told the Tribune that Chicagoans can look forward to pork sandwiches, pulled smoked chicken and pulled lamb, a crispy bacon BLT called Pig Candy and a waffle-bun chicken sandwich.

Mauro hopes this shop will one day be the flagship of a national franchise of sandwich shops, he told the Tribune. "We want to open a lot of these," Mauro said. "This is the flagship, the seed; we've already had people inquire about franchise opportunities."