Ehran Osterreicher, owner of Homestead Meats at 1305 Chicago Ave., knows where his meat is coming from. He said he regularly visits the family-owned farms where the animals are raised “without hormones or GMO feed.” As a stay-at-home dad, he said, “I taught my kids about food and sources.”
Butcher Raul Rubro said Mr. Osterreicher has seen how the animals are raised. “That’s the difference between [Homestead Meats and grocery stores] – the way the animals are treated.” Farmers bring the meat within three days of slaughter, he said, and the meat is cured in-house.
Then Mr. Rubro gets to work, carving out the baseball steaks, hanger steaks, jowl bacon, etc., displayed fresh on the shelves. He says he tries to use every part of the meat. What does not come out as a steak or a chop may be used in ground meat, kielbasa or other sausage, he said.
While Mr. Rubro began as a meat-wrapper at Whole Foods and worked his way up, Mr. Osterreicher said he is primarily self-taught. “A kitchen is a kitchen,” he said.
A ribbon-cutting on Aug. 14 celebrated the official opening of the shop. Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl thanked Mr. Osterreicher for “opening your business in Evanston. It reminds me of Paris.”
Mr. Osterreicher said, “I live here. That’s why it’s a perfect location for me.”