Every shelf at Morse’s Sauerkraut European Market is filled with holiday goodies. The line at the grocery store wraps around the displays as customers sample cheeses and order platters of cold cuts.

Cody LaMontagne and her husband James Gammon bought the historic Waldoboro business in 2015. The original Morse’s Sauerkraut was founded in 1918. The market was added in 2003 with a focus on German and Polish foods, related with the heritage of sauerkraut.

LaMontagne and Gammon have extended the offer. “We try to bring more and more things: the best salts for cooking, the best pickled peppercorns you can get if you make a pepper, the best fish sauce… When you flip through a magazine or when you go through your cookbook and you’re like “where the hell can I find this?” We try to deliver… these fun, high quality ingredients.

For shoppers looking for stocking stuffers and food gifts for Christmas, or cold cuts and cocktails for New Year’s Eve celebrations, Morse’s has it all.

“We’re definitely trying to bring in some traditional Christmas flavors from Northern Europe,” LaMontagne said.

There are Christmas stolens, hard sauce puddings, Italian nougat, traditional cookies, meat pies.

For children, there are European chocolate and marzipan coins wrapped in gold to bring good fortune on the New Year.

“Marzipan is definitely a huge thing,” LaMontagne said. And she expects to be exhausted with Santa on it by Christmas week.

One of his favorite products is fruit pâté from France. “It’s like taking the juiciest berries and mashing them into fruit jelly – the best grown-up candy you’ve ever had.”

According to LaMontagne, there is “an insane assortment of drinking chocolates – cocoa to the max.”

A nice selection of wines and bubbles can be found at the back of the store. And there are gifts for the mixologist: appetizers for mixing drinks, strawberries in syrup, crème de cassis, cherries.

For cheese lovers, there are raclette fondant kits and fondue pots. Festive cheeses make wonderful gifts; a current favorite is Vacherin, an alpine-style cheese made from raw cow’s milk from Switzerland.

The store sells a ton of cold cuts this time of year. “It’s a lot of fun putting them together,” said LaMontagne.

And with more and more people celebrating at home through COVID-19, it’s easy to grab a deli board and a few good bottles of wine to enjoy while cooking and having fun.

Morse’s is well known for its charcuterie platters. They include an Oktoberfest plate featuring the smoky and spicy flavors of Hungarian paprika and garlic. Salami, liver sausage and Black Forest ham are featured.

Among the cheeses is aged sharp cheddar, which, while not specifically German, tastes great with German meats, according to LaMontagne. A mound of sauerkraut fills the center.

The Parisian plate has salted duck breast, pasta, French cheeses, pickles. There is truffle butter to accompany the bistro ham.

“If you’ve ever spent time in France, butter on a baguette with bistro ham is simply the best,” said LaMontagne.

The Italian plateau imported prosciutto, Iberian ham, mortadella and soppressata, as well as olives, gorgonzola and aged provolone.

Janet and David Zeigler have been coming to Morse for years. They tasted cheese in the deli, picked up a jar of half-sweet and sour pickles, and a number of chocolate Santas for gifts.

Isabelle Bryant came to buy Christmas stockings and chocolate with her father Nils. He particularly likes cold meats. And the borscht, although he says it’s not that good down there.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tod and Michèle Lavoie came to get a gift for Tod’s father. “What are you buying from the guy who has everything?” You come here and you can mix it up for sure, ”Lavoie said.

Cashiers Emily Warman and Jazmyne Fowler love their jobs. They value the environment, the customers and good food. They both appreciate the opportunity to sample the wide variety of flavors available throughout the store.

“It’s such a happy atmosphere,” Warman said.

The emphasis on local shopping can be seen in the crowded parking lot. “It’s a choice to be made,” said LaMontagne. “It can be so easy to order things over the phone or online. COVID made it even truer. “

But COVID has also reminded people how much they value the personal experience of going to “a place where someone knows you.” And they remember the type of cheese you loved two years ago, ”she said.

Morse’s is made up of people who love food and love to talk about food. It is not uncommon to see staff and customers sharing experiences and exchanging recipes.

Sampling is something we do, LaMontagne said. “The cheese box currently contains something like 15 different kinds of blue cheese. “

She compares cheese tastings to wine tastings, establishing a frame of reference outside of the cheeses commonly found in large grocery stores. “It tastes like a spicy blue cheese. This one is blurry on your tongue. This one is really soft and creamy… ”

The staff love to help customers expand their palates. “That’s where the joy is,” said LaMontagne. “It’s fun helping (customers) find their new favorite things. “

“We are very fortunate that Morse’s has been here for over 100 years. We will have four generations of a family who will come shopping for Christmas. It’s part of their tradition, ”said LaMontagne. “We started with an audience and I hope people come along and have a great experience and tell their friends about it.”

LaMontagne attributes its continued growth in part to “this wonderful food culture along the Midcoast”.

Morse is working with neighboring businesses like Odd Alewives and Tops’l Farm to attract new customers to Waldoboro. “People are sending them in our direction and it’s great,” she said.

And people keep coming back, time and time again, year after year. There is a lot of nostalgia in Morse. “These types of food traditions that fuel their past – people come looking for them,” LaMontagne said.

She has had some pretty powerful experiences with clients. A woman burst into tears when she tasted a Schinken. She hadn’t tasted German ham since she was a child, visiting a local butcher’s shop with her grandmother.

“One of the things I love so much about food is the way it can connect people across time and space and project you into those beautiful memories and moments. And really keep them alive.

“My goal when I took over was not to ruin everything,” said LaMontagne. “It’s like when you have grandma’s recipe and you go and put your own little twist on it… but you try to stay true to the spirit and keep the tradition going.

The Morse Sauerkraut is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Holiday tray orders require 24 hour notice. The store will be closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day, as well as January 9-22 to reset.