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Little Europe brings a taste of novelty to Sawmill Market
The mini-market-inside-a-market concept officially launched at the food hall in mid-April
Published
Who needs a transatlantic flight? A taste of Europe has landed in Albuquerque 鈥� no passport necessary.
Little Europe, a new mini-market concept, is officially open for business inside Sawmill Market, one of Albuquerque鈥檚 popular food hubs. The market-inside-a-market concept launched in mid-April, bringing an assortment of Euro-inspired food segments to Sawmill.
Jim Long, founder and CEO of Heritage Cos., Sawmill鈥檚 owner, hailed the addition of Little Europe in an email, writing, 鈥淲e are thrilled with the Little Europe concept at Sawmill and believe it will be a great success. The diversity of the food items will make this an extraordinary dining destination for Albuquerque.鈥�
Little Europe offers everything from traditional European entrees, such as chicken schnitzel, spaghetti pomodoro and bangers and mash, to deli sandwiches, salads, Bavarian pretzels, artisanal breads, charcuterie boards, Spanish-style cheesecakes and a selection of nonalcoholic beverages.
Owner Vincenzo Brigante said the concept is 鈥渇ocused on more of those novel, forward-styled offerings鈥� that he said will be 鈥渟easonally curated and a very dynamic live experience.鈥�
Brigante, his partners at local hospitality group Eternal Investments and Heritage have been brewing the Little Europe concept for several years.
The partnership between the entities first began when Brigante and Eternal Investments opened Cr猫me de la Cr猫me at Sawmill roughly four years ago. They then opened Kashmir Coffee Lounge at Heritage鈥檚 newer food hall project in Uptown, Park Square Market, last year.
A shared love of hospitality and bringing niche, refined experiences to Albuquerque fueled the partnership and each new concept, Brigante said. Additionally, Brigante and his partners at Eternal Investments all come from Italian and European backgrounds.
鈥淎ll of our concepts are first born out of a desire and a passion for the things that are not available in our local market,鈥� Brigante said, adding the concepts are built upon fond travel memories or the places people wish they could go. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what Little Europe is doing. It鈥檚 鈥� something that feels authentically as if you鈥檙e in Europe, and being able to indulge in the novelty that鈥檚 there, but being able to have that locally.鈥�
Little Europe mirrors Sawmill in the fact that it offers something for everyone, with price points ranging from $7 to $100 for some of the market鈥檚 larger charcuterie options, Brigante said.
The mini-market fills 1,100 square feet of space inside Sawmill, replacing a Spanish tapas concept that exited earlier this year. Long and Heritage handled the architectural design of the refreshed space, aiming to tie together aesthetics from a variety of European countries.
Brigante said the space and concept have been well received by the community.
鈥淣othing in this realm of establishing concepts and building and doing things that are really special and come from the heart are finished completely,鈥� Brigante said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 open now, but to me, the work is never done because I would love to continue to expand and build a really thriving spot for the community.鈥�
Launching more brands with Heritage throughout New Mexico could be a possibility for the future, but for now, Brigante said he is focused on making this brand a success. The owner said he plans to make events a cornerstone of Little Europe鈥檚 future offerings.
Long said he and the Heritage team 鈥渃an鈥檛 wait鈥� to see how the venue evolves in the coming months.
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.
