Tom Lynch

Ten years ago, restaurant entrepreneur Debbie Sharpe had an idea--a deli where Bucktown and Wicker Park meet, with gourmet groceries to boot. It took a decade to come together, as The Goddess and the Grocer, Damen Avenue's newest pit stop, opened its doors last month.

"I've been trying to do this for ten years, and really putting it together took nearly a year," says Sharpe, who also owns next-door restaurant Feast and coffee joint Half & Half down the street. "I've always wanted to work at a deli, and I opened it because there's nowhere in this neighborhood where you could go get some spices, good cheeses, and a good sandwich."

On the grocery side, the quaint shop features an array of jarred gourmet spices, shelves of wine under and over twenty bucks, sweets, organic sauces and dressings, bottled soda, and more than fifty choices of fine cheeses. On the deli side, Goddess serves over twenty specialty ready-to-eat sandwiches and salads, a soup of the day, and a special rotisserie chicken. From a ceiling light fixture, strands of white paper dangle, sporting phrases from "You Are What You Eat" to "Support Green Peace" to "The Goddess Rules!" A small table, just one, rests in front near the window, but Sharpe plans to expand soon.

"We're putting a dining-room area in the small building next door," she says, pointing to the white house to the south. The expansion should be completed in six weeks, and for the restaurant honcho, it's another way to reach out. "For me, it's a social event. It's scary how many people I know in the neighborhood. I lived in the neighborhood for fourteen years. You get to know them. The regulars at Half & Half and Feast, and the regulars here, you get to know them really well. You get to see their kids grow up."

Goddess also features free wine-and-cheese tastings on Thursday nights. "People get to meet other people--it's a real social event," Sharpe says. "I notice a lot of strollers around, but there are still a lot of single people in this area."

The Goddess and the Grocer

1646 North Damen (773)342-3200

(2004-08-31)

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