Taylor Gourmet Deli Opens in Mosaic District

When Casey Patten moved to Washington, D.C. about 11-years ago after graduating from Penn State University, he couldn’t find a good Philadelphia hoagie in the area.

About four years ago, he started Taylor Gourmet Deli and Saturday, he and his business partners opened their newest location in the Mosaic District in Merrifield.

The Mosaic District is a new shopping area with a movie theatre, Target and other shops. The deli offers up some of Philadelphia’s other famed sandwiches outside of the cheese steak.

“I couldn’t get a good hoagie,” Patten said. “When I would go into a sandwich shop and ask for a hoagie, people would look at me funny.”

The Mosaic District Taylor Gourmet Deli is the fifth location Patten has opened. Patten has three locations in Washington, D.C., one in Bethesda, MD with the newest in Merrifield. He said the Mosaic management team originally approached him about bringing a store to the area about two years ago. After talking with some friends in Northern Virginia, he jumped on the opportunity. The deli offers breakfast lunch and dinner.

Tuesday, people walked into the store and ordered sandwiches with some unfamiliar names. The menu is full of sandwiches and salads named after streets and parks in Philadelphia like the Girard Avenue, which is a roast pork sandwich with peppers, onions and sharp provolone cheese.

Patten said a hoagie (what some people know as a sub sandwich or grinder) starts with quality bread. He said the meats used in his sandwiches are roasted on premise and none of his products are frozen.

“No freezers in here. Nothing good comes from a freezer,” Patten said. “What I enjoy is doing things the right way.”