Photo by Jordan Hanna courtesy The Mayor
History: After working his way up the chef food chain in New York City, Kyle Morse became head butcher for The Breslin, a Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Ace Hotel. There, the Culinary Institute of America grad found his passion. “I was able to combine the creativity of cooking with butchering,” says Morse, who later relocated to Richmond. In June of 2019, he launched his specialty sausage company, The Mayor.
Specialties: Year-round offerings include fennel-garlic and linguica, a Portuguese smoked sausage that’s popular in New England, where Morse grew up. Seasonal varieties range from broccoli raab and Swiss to a jalapeño cheddar. Morse also hopes to introduce a vegan sausage.
Production methods: Morse operates out of Richmond's Hatch Kitchen, using meat from pork purveyor Autumn Olive Farms, noting that “if [the animals] aren’t being cared for, you can taste it.”
Buy: Products from The Mayor are available at South of the James Market and the Farmers Market at St. Stephen's, or order online for pickup at Hatch Kitchen.
