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Bearwolf Catering & PNW Deli

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Bearwolf Catering & PNW Deli

Bearwolf is bringing the art of the deli to Salem! All cold cuts and meats are made entirely in-house.

Salami, mortadella, hams, bacon, turkey: everything is made by us. Come by for a one-of-a-kind sandwich or order from us for your next lunch catering.

04/28/2026

I know what a lot of you are thinking. Maybe not in these exact words, but something along the lines of: “That’s a boring, monochromatic sandwich. I don’t know what I’m looking at, I’m not interested, and I might actually be offended at how aggressively pedestrian this is.” Maybe you even consider reporting it to the Meta authorities…or, more realistically, you just scroll past because there’s not much to see.

And honestly? I don’t blame you. It’s not that pretty. If you’ve been following along, you know I don’t post everything. There are plenty of sandwiches that never make it onto the feed, and you could make a very reasonable argument that this should’ve been one of them, but if you’ve read this far, you’re probably not here for pretty.

You’re the kind of person who knows looks can lie. That some of the best things get overlooked because they don’t shout for attention. If that’s you - I’m glad you’re here.

This one started, like a lot of questionable decisions do, with a song - “If you like piña coladas…” - and that was enough to send it in a direction.

Pineapple coconut chicken.

From there I just started making stuff. Not sauces. Not dips. Not something meant to live in a jar or get repurposed later. Just stuff - built for a single job: to sit on this ONE sandwich and make it make sense. To belong here, and nowhere else. I've been doing that more lately: building components that don’t exist outside of the moment.

This week’s version of “stuff”: pineapple, jalapeño, blue cheese, cheddar, mozz, red onion.

No backup plan. No alternate use. Just this.
Last week’s DYTM - one-off, gone if you missed it -
Pineapple coconut chicken, “stuff,” coconut–garlic–ginger mayo… pressed until it all decided to work together as intended.

04/25/2026

One of the things that has to be acknowledged in this particular culinary era… is the complete and utter lack of shame.

Things that are, by all reasonable standards, gastronomic abominations are paraded out in the open now - no hesitation, no apology - slowly desensitizing whatever conscience we had left. Stuff that used to be reserved for the privacy of your own home… or shared only among a tight circle of trusted epicurean deviants… is now front and center, well-lit, and proudly captioned.

Ideas that would have made at least one of my old bulldog chefs either blush or throw something at me, depending on the day… or depending on whether the prep cook the night before had the sense to soak the peeled potatoes in water, or left them out dry, to turn black on the counter, like a cautionary tale.

But here’s the truth.

We all do it. We always have.

For some of us, those early “what am I even doing” combinations are exactly what made us fall in love with food. It made sense back then - even if no one was around who could explain why. Maple syrup running off pancakes and into bacon… one of those first, innocent, accidental marriages that became the bacon-maple donut — no longer a novelty, just expected. Honestly, it’s almost weird now if a donut shop doesn’t have one.

And who hasn’t heard of a spaghetti sandwich? The invention of countless teenage guys standing in a kitchen between lunch and dinner, making decisions based on what's available and yummy.

Now, scroll for five seconds. - at least on my feed - and it’s everywhere. Grown-up versions of the same instinct. Louder. Bigger. People who maybe never really grew up… just gained access to better ingredients that were meant to stay apart.
Or maybe they weren’t.

I'll have to continue these thoughts in the next post with a sandwich in this genre.

Last week’s DYTM : and yeah, this was a one-off, if you missed it, it’s gone -
Smoked brisket, BBQ garlic mayo, Pulled pork chili mac & cheese, Scallions, Pretzel brioche.

04/16/2026

This sandwich was one of those that started with a plan…and then completely went off the rails.

At first glance - or even just reading it - it sounds like it’s having a full-blown identity crisis. Like something cobbled together out of leftovers and those random, unopened things you bought the last time you went shopping hungry…the ones now quietly pushing their luck past the “best by” date.

Doesn’t inspire confidence.

But then you take a bite.

And somewhere between the confusion and the curiosity, it clicks. It knows exactly what it’s doing. Even if you don’t quite understand.
It works and tastes like it should be obvious.

Like an old-school Elton John stage outfit — loud, a little chaotic, maybe questionable on paper…but undeniable in the moment. Not something you’d try to recreate. Not something you’d want to tame.

Just something that, somehow, hits exactly right once.
Tandoori chicken thigh, goat-cheese-parsley-yogurt-stuff, rocket, gobs of smashed avocado, fresh onion, toasted ciabatta

04/03/2026

It’s honestly not even funny how far behind I am on posting some of these Do You Trust Me? sandwiches, especially the ones I really need to remember.

Some sandwiches I’m not terribly concerned with posting. A few of them just don’t have the kind of aesthetics that really work for social media, no matter how Stupid Good they taste. The truth is, some of the best food is monochromatic. Brown on tan on green. Not exactly built for the algorithm. I care about presentation, sure, but sometimes great food just doesn’t look all that impressive.

I know, I know - you still want to know what it is. That’s why I’ve been trying to at least throw something up on the story. But this one? This one deserves a page in the book. It's a triple threat: handsome, interesting, and downright dangerous in the flavor department.

Marinated chicken breast, lemon pesto, garlic mayo, avocado, rocket, heirloom tomato, provolone, grilled on rustic sourdough.

03/20/2026

Last week’s DYTM. Don’t come walking in today with that photo, expecting a repeat. It doesn’t work like that. You’ll be disappointed and I won’t enjoy telling you “no.”

I’ll admit, it was a bit ridiculous. A real challenge to eat, no question - but when you opened that box, it had a presence. I saw the reactions. Plenty of smiles, a little bit of struggle, and yeah… maybe a few tears. Good thing we kept extra napkins on hand.

Today, I may give you a choice: fashion or function. Do you want it in all its glory? Or do you need it wrapped tight, contained, and ready to move?

Last week’s DYTM: roast pork loin, garlic sauce, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, pickled onion, Bearwolf tzatziki, soft bun.

02/12/2026

Lately I’ve been on a beef, garlic, and onion kick. Hard to argue with that trio. It’s about as close to a universal sandwich foundation as you can get.
As I’m writing this, a friend of mine is in Argentina. I say “friend” loosely, because he’s been sending me a steady stream of photos of things that I desperately want and absolutely cannot have. Which, honestly, is fair. This whole DYTM experiment is built on culinary envy. I’ve inflicted it on plenty of you.

Will I change my ways now that I can empathize?
Emphatically no. If anything, I’m doubling down.
Last week’s DYTM (mandatory disclaimer: it’s gone forever):

Brisket, ham, provolone, garlic mayo, grilled red and pasilla peppers and onions. Finished with chimichurri on rustic sourdough, grilled.

Odd question for the public: was that red playground ball ever officially called anything? I feel like we had a nickname for it, but I can’t recall. Any Chapman Hill Cheetahs want to chime in?

01/29/2026

Occasionally I start the week with one idea, begin the process, and end up somewhere else entirely. Last week started with the idea of a Philly roast pork-style sandwich. I wasn’t trying to recreate it—I’ve never actually had one, and I try to manage expectations. The plan was simply to take the bones of it—braised pork and garlicky broccoli rabe or greens—and build something of my own.
Then the process took over. I decided to dry-brine the pork for a couple of days, then smoke it very low before finishing it sous vide for about fourteen hours at a relatively gentle temperature. The goal was to keep the structure intact and end up with something sliceable rather than falling apart.
At that point, the Philly concept started to merge with pulled pork territory: smoky, a little sweet, balanced with something fresh and crunchy. The end result came together better than expected.
Last Friday’s DYTM (mandatory disclaimer: it’s gone forever):
Dry-brined smoked pork, pepper jelly, roasted garlic broccoli slaw, Swiss, roll.

01/17/2026

The book is coming along nicely. And by that I mean I’ve written down a list of sandwiches I might include. That’s it. A Google document. Thirty-five lines. No title. Which means at some point I’ll have to wade through roughly 385 files labeled Untitled document and seriously reevaluate my organizational skills. There’s a strong chance I’ll decide it’s easier to just start over and pretend this never happened.

Anyway.

You know that person who discovers something and immediately starts using it everywhere? Evangelizing it. Cornering people about it. An old friend of mine discovered cumin once. He carried a bottle of it in his breast pocket. We were at another friend’s house eating toast—early twenties, toast was a legitimate meal—and he sprinkled cumin on it because it was, in his words, the greatest seasoning ever created.

I’m aware I may be becoming that guy.

I don’t care. None of you seem to be complaining. And if you are, that’s kind of on you for trusting me in the first place.

Today’s DYTM: garlic fish sauce–smoked tri-tip, nuoc cham mayo, crack mac salad, and fried onions on a sesame brioche.

01/10/2026

I lost my voice yesterday, so today I had to use my backup. It used to be my main, but too many people would swoon at the sound—like to***co, black oak, and temptation had a baby and decided to live in my vocal cords.
How did I lose my voice? Probably because after committing to make this sandwich, I spent the last few nights waking up screaming. This was, without question, the most tedious and technically tricky sandwich I’ve pulled off so far. Every step mattered. Miss one and the whole thing collapses.
So I genuinely hope you liked it.
House lean chorizo, house-pickled onions, bolillos from the incredible dipped in house guajillo sauce, refried beans, crema, queso fresco, cilantro—pressed.

**Original photo credit to - Mike, I had AI give this the glamor shot treatment because I never want to make this again. Maybe not even for the book.

01/07/2026

Three new things you should know:

1) You can order delivery directly from our website

2) You can also place group orders from the website

3) You can place simple catering orders from the website. (Any special requests, be sure to email us)

Address

1310 State St
Salem, OR
97301

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 3pm
Tuesday	10am - 3pm
Wednesday	10am - 3pm
Thursday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

+19714437031

Website

http://bearwolfdeli.com/

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