NORTH WALDOBORO — Nobody does Christmas like Germany. And the closest you can come to Germany in this area is at Morse’s Sauerkraut, 3856 Washington Road in North Waldoboro. Since 1910, when Virgil Morse delivered his first barrel of pickled cabbage to John Gay’s store in North Waldoboro, people have been enjoying the undisputed best sauerkraut. 

Enter Jacquelyn Sawyer and David Swetnam, who bought Morse’s Sauerkraut in September 2000. They began making their very first batch of sauerkraut the very next day. The business grew as a European deli was added, as well as a restaurant that features German style cuisine.

“The way it evolved was somewhat of a surprise,” said Swetnam. “We ran it pretty much as an outlet for sauerkraut and it was really just a glorified country farm stand with a few ancillary things.”

Swetnam said the fame of Morse’s was such that people came from far and wide. It was not uncommon at all to see people from New York, Florida and just about anywhere in the country.  

“If you came here on the weekend, you might count eight or 10 different license plates in the parking lot at any given time,” said Swetnam. “People had made this pilgrimage out to Morse’s Sauerkraut only to come in the door and find just this simple little store.”

Swetnam said he and Jacquelyn had a quandary whether to offer Maine-made goods or that which would pair up with the sauerkraut and hearken back to the German heritage of Waldoboro.

“At the time there wasn’t a lot of Maine made food products around and what there was, was very well represented up and down the coast, so why come out here for that,” said Swetnam. “We brought a few things like sausages in that would pair well with the sauerkraut and just a smattering of German things. Much to our surprise we realized we had tapped into an unfulfilled niche market. People were really hungry for these German goods.”

Sausages and sliced meats, cheeses, as well as chocolates, all sold well.

“People didn’t hesitate for a minute to bring in their shopping lists, which at times were rather extensive,” said Swetnam. “Once we heard about an item two or three times we’d endeavor to go find it for them. We had no intention of turning it into a German deli, but that’s what we ended up with. If ever there was a store that was built by the customers, this is it.”

Swetnam said that 90 percent of the items seen in the store came off of somebody’s shopping list. Swetnam said they are very happy and proud of what they have built.

“People have been coming for a decade and generations of them. We never had the great opportunity to have met Mrs. Morse who passed away years prior to us purchasing the place,” said Swetnam. “A lot of her contemporaries were still around and I would ask them if they thought Evelyn would be happy with the changes and they all said she would be overjoyed. She would be thrilled to see that it evolved into the place it is.”

Swetnam said the restaurant came about the same way. Boat loads (his words) of people would come in and expect to be fed.     

“We started out trying to respond to that with just a couple of little tables,” said Swetnam. “Building on the fact that Mrs. Morse always had a pot of beans on and served sauerkraut on hotdogs. There was a precedent for having food, but that was it, just a little hotdog steamer. We expanded it to include the sausages we brought in for the deli. We started making sausage plate and wondered what other things were well known to have sauerkraut on them.”

Swetnam said the problem was solved with Reuben sandwiches. And they began serving a very stout Reuben.

“Of all the things we make, that’s what really become the most popular item,” said Swetnam. “Fifty percent of all the things we serve on any given day are Reuben sandwiches. 

The menu now has expanded to include several types of sandwiches, appetizers, desserts and entrees. Morse’s is open year round and serves breakfast Thursday through Sunday.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in a most Bavarian way at Morse’s.

“We bring in what we’ve been told is probably the most complete selection of Bavarian market items anywhere on the Eastern seaboard,” said Swetnam. “People have been very receptive to it and they have made the pilgrimage out here because there are lots of great gifts and stocking stuffers here.”

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