Schweini’s Delicatessen to open on Main Street

Chris Frommeyer, 41, is bringing a taste of Germany to downtown Winter Garden. 

Frommeyer plans to open his new business, Schweini’s Delicatessen, in the next few weeks. The German-influenced deli will offer sandwiches, biers, cheesecakes and more. 

Schweini’s Delicatessen will open in the space formerly occupied by Main House Market at 108 S. Main St.

NEW TRADITIONS

Born in the Kissimmee area, Frommeyer grew up in Central Florida, although his father’s side of the family is from Germany. 

He has been a part of the restaurant industry since he was 18 years old, starting at the front of the house and moving to the back of the house to further explore his enjoyment for cooking.

Frommeyer attended culinary school and moved on to work at a corporate dining establishment. 

Having lived in Winter Garden for about 15 years, Frommeyer said he wanted to be a part of Crooked Can Brewing Company’s well-known Oktoberfest event. 

He completed the event selling German sandwiches and even made cheesecakes from scratch at small markets before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Frommeyer had been looking for a brick-and-mortar establishment to open his culinary endeavor for almost three years when the spot on Main Street opened up. 

“It’s kind of been my own little special thing for a while, and now I’m finally getting to actually do it,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be down here in this area.”

Frommeyer said the downtown Winter Garden area attracted him to want to open his business in the location because he lives nearby and wanted to bring something new to the community.

“There’s not much like this here in the area,” he said. “I don’t do full-on traditional German, but I take a lot of traditional dishes and then put my little twist on it just to kind of keep the spirit of those dishes alive and turn it into fun sandwiches. Really, the closest thing we have to this would be Hollerbach’s German Restaurant in Sanford, which is an hour drive away.”

The restaurant is named after Frommeyer’s best friend Schweini, his rescued beagle who he has had for about four years. Schweini can be found in the store’s logo and in a tattoo on Frommeyer’s leg.

Traditional menu items at Schweini’s include bratwurst and schnitzel, as well as a cleverly named Schweinibraten sandwich.

For his sandwiches, Frommeyer uses fresh German breads made right across the street at Beneficial Breads.

The delicatessen’s menu also includes a selection of local and German biers, wines and cheesecake options such as Black Forest and German Chocolate. 

Frommeyer said making people happy is what inspires him to continue to stick with the culinary field.

“I love to cook and just throw down a meal and then just sit there and watch everybody enjoy whatever craziness I came up with,” he said. 

Because Frommeyer loves European soccer, he will be showing both English and German league matches. He plans to open early on Saturdays and Sundays for the European games.

HOMETOWN HERITAGE

Frommeyer said he has always loved Germany’s culture and its people. 

Although he was supposed to go back to visit this year, the trip has been put on hold so he can focus on his new business. 

In the future, Frommeyer hopes to grow his cheesecake brand and explore the possibility of baking his own breads.

He also plans to bring new German events to the area such as Krampus in December. 

He aims to make dog treats and donate the proceeds to a local dog rescue. 

Frommeyer lives in the Stoneybrook area with his wife, Rebecca, and their dogs: Schweini and Duke.