Accountant turned sausage-maker ‘meats’ demand

Steve Bennett was working as an accountant when he met his wife. He’d never even had kiszka before, but one day she took him along to help out at her uncle’s sausage shop. A whole new world opened up, and Bennett spent five years working with the uncle, Frank Jakubczak, at European Homemade Sausage in Milwaukee. 

In 2005, Bennett and his wife, Sandy Jakubczak Bennett, bought Bernie’s Fine Meats and became only the third owners of the butcher shop at 119 Franklin St., Port Washington. He still makes sausage just the way Frank taught him, but now bacon, bangers, steaks and roasts are part of his daily grind. He’s making hundreds of pounds of sausage daily, meeting holiday demand (and the demands of customers from European Homemade Sausage since Frank retired).

Bennett lives in Port Washington with his wife and their three kids. 

Sausage start

My wife asked if I would help her at her uncle Frank’s shop, European Homemade Sausage. That experience changed my life. I was in accounting. I was always the kid who wanted to be an entrepreneur. I helped in his store that holiday season, and he had lines out the door. I had to figure this out. 

Family and food

I bought Bernie’s in 2005. I spent almost five years working with Frank. My wife and I originally were looking to buy the business. That was the goal, but it was always “Not yet.” 

My wife found a tiny ad in the Journal Sentinel. “For sale, meat market in Port Washington.” That’s it. Neither my wife nor I had ever been in Port Washington in our entire life. 

Building his business

When I was at European Homemade Sausage, he had a huge sausage business. When I bought Bernie’s, we moved above the store. This place had a bakery in it, a full line butchery. My wife had never baked bread. I’d never cut a steak, and I didn’t know how to cut pork chops. I had so much to learn. I had to do it fast, and I had to do it in front of the customer, because we hand-cut all the product in front of customers just like the old days.

Our prime rib is incredible. I do tenderloins. I make gravy from scratch. I do everything the old-fashioned way you would do it at home. That is what has driven our business. 

Bring home the bacon

Bacon is our No. 1 achievement. I learned the recipe from my uncle and made some minor tweaks. We go through 1,000 pounds a week of bacon alone during the holiday season. You can also have my bacon at The National Cafe, 839 W. National, or Buckley’s, 801 N. Cass. 

The beauty of bratwurst

I make so many different varieties, I had to make things seasonal. I don’t have room for them all. In the spring, I make a strawberry brat. I make an unbelievable apple harvest brat. I make one with ranch and cranberry. I mix the ranch from scratch, so there is no msg. 

I’m trying to invent a Reuben brat. We do unbelievable Reubens. I only make corned beef once a year, and we make sandwiches. Making a Reuben brat is not as easy as you’d think. I’ve spent years trying to figure it out.

By the pound

Our summer sausage is shelf-stable. In the month of December I literally go through 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of the stuff.

Spicing things up

I mix all my spices from scratch. Frank taught me to mix them from scratch, because then you know what is in them. I get our spices from a wholesaler in Grafton: Mid-America Seasonings. 

On his holiday table 

I really enjoy prime rib for Christmas. It is definitely a treat. We don’t take things for granted. My parents were not in the meat business in Beaver Dam. Growing up, we’d have steak on a Sunday. There’d be six of us. We’d have one steak split six ways and a lot of sides.

Now I have a situation where we have some of the best steaks God provides. My kids say “I’m sick of steak, Dad.”

Blood sausage basics

I had never had kiszka before I met my wife. I asked what was in it. Oh, don’t tell me again! Then I got to making it. 

I’ve been asked to make every blood sausage on the planet. They are crazy hard to make. They’re time-consuming. I will never have enough time. I still hand-tie everything. It is definitely an art and a passion. 

By request

I’m making a Toulouse sausage, that’s a French sausage, and the family has me make it almost every other year. I’ve made special things for a lot of people. If people want to make their sausage at home, I grind the meat for them. 

Bangers and bacon

I’ve been to England. That’s not a sausage haven, but they do have wonderful bangers, an English-style breakfast sausage. I got some ideas when I went over there. I do rasher bacon and I’ve been making bangers for five years. You can find those at The National, too. 

Looking ahead 

My goal is to grow my business right here in Port Washington. I bought the building. I’m looking to bring a full market to the area. I’m expanding to handle my increased wholesale business and customer base, especially with my uncle (Frank) now retired. I thought I’d maybe see about 10% of his business come my direction. I’d say that at least 20% has found its way here before this Christmas season. Those are just sausage people, they didn’t even know that I had the butcher shop, liquor and Polish goods.

Need to know

Order product ahead of time. People can’t just walk in and buy 30 pounds of sausage; otherwise they’re going to drive all the way to Port Washington and be disappointed if I’m sold out. 

Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.