A food slicer is provided having a support member including a base portion and an upstanding portion integrally formed with the base portion. The upstanding portion includes a rotating cutting blade for slicing food product. The base portion includes a food product table slidably secured thereto and is movable across the cutting blade for holding product while it is being sliced by the cutting blade. An adjustable gage plate is provided for determining the thickness of a food product to be sliced. A sharpening mechanism for sharpening the cutting blade as needed is removably secured to a portion of the product table to provide accurate sharpening of the cutting blade. The sharpening mechanism also including a rotating sharpening member and a deburring member where the rotating sharpening member and the deburring member are mounted independent from each other. The sharpening mechanism is removably secured to a groove formed on the bottom of the food product table.