Chocolate and peanuts and piglets, oh my!

Smithfield Foods announced it will open on Tuesday a restaurant in its home town of Smithfield, Va. adjacent to its newly located retail shop which will now carry other gourmet items such as chocolate and gourmet nuts.

The new Taste of Smithfield restaurant features Smithfield pork products, including Smithfield Innovation Kitchen specials and box lunches. There is also a grab-and-go case with salads, sandwiches and desserts and a children’s menu headed, “For the little piglets.”

The new space, across the street from the previous retail location, is a two-story 8,700-square-foot building.

Pete Booker, vice president and general manager of the Smithfield Specialty Foods Group, will oversee this new joint venture combining retail and restaurant operations. Margaret Carroll has been named to manage Taste of Smithfield restaurant.

“We anticipate that we will be changing our menu often to reflect new and innovative creations from our chefs,” said Booker. “We even have some menu items for our vegetarian friends.”

With increased space in the new building, The Genuine Smithfield Ham Shoppe will offer a larger selection of products, including Smithfield Specialty-branded pork products, as well as other gourmet Specialty food brands such as Stonewall Kitchen, Rothschild Farms, Vosges Haut-Chocolat, and The Peanut Shop of Smithfield Gourmet Virginia Peanuts and Nuts.