This month, I got to chat with Tyler Potter, the chef and founder behind The Swimming Pig, about the winding culinary path that brought him to Martha’s Vineyard and the fire-driven craft that now defines his work. We spoke about why cooking with smoke and open flame became the foundation of his catering company, and how that primal, communal style of food fills a unique space in the Vineyard’s culinary landscape. From mobile sausage production and BBQ catering, to retail products now stocked across the Island, Tyler shared how the business has grown steadily — and intentionally — rooted in preservation techniques and connection. Looking ahead, we discussed what excites him most about the future: expanding The Swimming Pig’s reach, introducing new products, and continuing to cook food that brings people together.

Will you share a little about your culinary experience and history, and what sent you down this career path?

Serendipity is really what took me down this path, I never set out to be a chef! But, it found me and has since become my calling, passion and purpose. I find it to be an honorable profession- we have the duty of feeding, providing and nourishing people, all while playing with fire and knives! How fun! I fell into cooking towards the end of college in Boston, simply as a part time job as I finished my degree in graphic design. After I graduated college, I just… kept cooking! I ended up finding my place behind the line in some of Boston’s best restaurants, absorbing as much as I could from my chefs and peers. I cooked across the city- from Kenmore Square to Southie to Cambridge- working through the fine dining and casual fine dining circuit. I learned volume at Eastern Standard and Ward 8; fine dining at KO Prime and West Bridge; and Southern cookery at Southern Proper and Merrill & Co. After about fifteen years grinding my way up from grunt line dog, to arrogant Sous Chef, to (somewhat) polished Executive Chef in Boston, I was given the opportunity to work as Production Manager at an artisanal charcuterie facility outside the city, producing 10,000 pounds a week of wagyu beef and heritage pork products under USDA inspection. We produced classic German and smoked sausages, pates, mortadella, bologna, pastrami, meatballs, pulled pork, bacon, snack sticks, jerky and pepperoni, not to mention the 75,000 pounds of salami in our drying room I was responsible for. I was there until Covid reshaped everything, and in July 2020 I moved to Martha’s Vineyard!

What made you want to build your business around the smoker and that style of cooking?

The Swimming Pig is a true culmination of my experiences and direct result of my training under my chefs and mentors. Once I started to get acclimated to Martha’s Vineyard, I saw that I had a unique experience, skill set and technical ability in this specialty craft that could fill a void in the culinary landscape. This all began as a mobile sausage and charcuterie production service crafting products for local restaurants, hotels and farm stands. In 2021 alone, I produced over a metric ton of meat products myself (whew!). As I had “mercenary” cooked with a lot of local caterers, chefs and colleagues, I saw an opportunity to step into the ring with a smoked meat and BBQ concept that embodied the craft I had been practicing for most of my career through salting, brining, smoking and curing- all age old preservation methods and techniques. I fell in love with the primal, unpredictable nature of cooking with smoke and fire. It’s bold and brash, but also communal—it invites people to gather, celebrate, and share in the experience. It has a sense of theatricality too: smoke, fire, steel, wood, and big cuts of meat slowly cooked for hours and hours that encourages a wonderment to this alchemy. Since its inception, The Swimming Pig has evolved from mobile production to a New England style smoked meat catering operation and retail sausage brand complete with an apparel line we are really proud of!

What are you excited for about the future of The Swimming Pig?

I’m really excited to just cook this style of food and share it with my clients, colleges and community. Cooking is my natural habitat, it’s where I feel most alive and perform at my best and I’m always excited to share the love and passion I have for this craft. Last season in 2025 we introduced our retail sausage products to Martha’s Vineyard retailers and grocers and couldn’t be more grateful for the response- we sold over 2,500 units this season from May to October!. We hope to solidify our current offering in the local market, as well as expand regionally to Nantucket, Cape, and coastal New England. We are currently excited about a retail sliced bacon product we are working on for next season to expand the catalog and keep serving quality meats! One day, if the real estate stars align, I’d love to make The Swimming Pig more accessible with a fast casual brick and mortar location so we can serve the island residents and visitors all the meats and sides all the time! At the moment, I am humbled by the momentum this little piggy has gained over the last few years, so we’ll just keep pushing forward and growing! “Lean into the storm” was advice I received from my mentor, so we’ll keep doing just that.