MEET THE MAKER: BUTCHERY 2.0

Illichmann’s Sausage Shop is now run by the Meissingers, who never changed the name but have changed with the times.

t wasn’t just true love, a white dress and a ring when Dana and Ken Meissinger got married 32 years ago. From the get-go, Dana knew she was signing on to work at the family business, too. “You don’t think twice about it,” she says. “We just knew one day we’d be taking it over.” Dana’s realization was grounded in the fact that for more than 47 years, the Meissinger family has been behind the counter at Illichmann’s Sausage Shop, making some of Calgary’s favourite smoked meats and charcuterie. The store, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017, still carries the name of the Illichmanns, who moved to the Okanagan Valley three years after its creation. They sold the shop to Rose and Joe Meissinger, who had grown up in Austria and honed their retail skills working at delicatessens in Canada. In turn, they sold it to their son Ken and his wife Dana 21 years ago. For Dana, who left her job managing a dermatology office, it was a big shift. Ken, on the other hand, had grown up surrounded by all things meat. He was eight years old when his parents bought the shop; by the time he was 10 he was washing dishes and cleaning. Then he began working alongside his father, helping to make sausages, ham and bacon. Joe still comes by a couple of days a week; he and Ken are the only two who know all the secret recipes. Times have changed, however, and so has the business. Last year, Ken and Dana added an extensive cheese selection, which means they now sell cheese and charcuterie boards. They’ve added a selection of Spanish and South American sausages and operate a catering business. But, just like the early days, there are plenty of European staples: pickles, German cookies, poppy seeds, spaetzle, chocolate. “We bring back the memories, and that’s what a lot of people want,” Dana says. “We have parents who were little kids when they first came in to the shop. Now they’re grandparents. They’re bringing their children and grandchildren.” Life hasn’t been easy for the Meissingers. Their son Travis was killed by a drunk driver seven years ago, and Dana has developed lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease with no cure. But their eldest son, Brent, 29, has grown up in the business and still comes to help during the busy times.

And when they need a break, Dana and Ken get on their Harleys and get out of town. “We like to ride bikes, work out and just have fun,” Dana says. “We still talk about work, but we do other things together, too. Work is work, and home is home.”

Dana hopes to retire a few years down the road, but not if it means the end of Illichmann’s. “I still want this business thriving. I don’t want the old recipes and traditions to be lost,” she says. “No one wants that.” 1840 36th St. S.E., 403-272-1673, illichmannscalgary.com.