Auzzie Lewis said it was her lifelong dream to open a deli — a dream realized with the soft opening this week of The Grazing Table Deli in north Fresno. This Facebook photo shows her recent appearance on KMPH's Great Day.

A little over three years ago, Auzzie Lewis opened The Grazing Table catering business, offering fresh charcuterie selections to Valley residents.

After successfully navigating to the ever-changing landscape of food businesses during the pandemic, Lewis will bring the flavors of her catering business to a storefront with the opening of The Grazing Table Deli.

The Grazing Table Deli will celebrate its grand opening on May 27 at 9525 N. Sommerville Dr., Suite 101, in Fresno, featuring favorites from their original menu as well as new additions available at the deli.

 

Founded in March 2020, The Grazing Table offers charcuterie catering services, hot appetizers, sandwiches and more. Initially started as a hobby, Lewis left her job as a corporate recruiter to open the business.

“My girlfriends started asking me to make [charcuterie] boards,” she said. “I decided to throw it up on Instagram and see what happens.”

Operating out of the Clovis Culinary Center from the start, Lewis said opening the Grazing Table Deli not only provides new opportunities for the business, but also fulfills a lifelong dream of Lewis — opening a storefront deli.

“It all happened really fast,” she said. “We acquired the space within a month. Everything happened really quickly.”

The expansion into a deli will also allow The Grazing Table to expand their menu, offering more hot items like chicken and tri tip in addition to traditional charcuterie and “finger food” selections.

 

The opening of the deli and expansion of the menu fills the need for many of Lewis’ clients who have been requesting full lunch/meal catering options.

According to Lewis, the expansion into the deli has forced the business to be more selective with their catering orders recently, but after opening, the deli will allow for an expanded menu.

“A lot of the items that are on my grazing tables will be in the deli,” she said. “I think the preparation and the transition should go smoothly.”

Lewis looks to hire around seven new employees, but a soft opening period scheduled to begin Tuesday will reveal more of what the business needs.

 

Initial hours will be 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. until the grand opening later this month, when they will expand to 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The deli is in the process of setting up its website for online ordering and mobile orders.

“We want to be the neighborhood deli for north Fresno and I hope that we can accomplish that,” she said.