Paulina Market, Chicago

Established since 1949, Bill and Laurie Begale purchased Paulina Meat Market in 2006. As a family, Bill, his wife, and three children continue to operate it as a traditional meat market with German specialities.

In addition to old world sausages, staff have started experimenting with exotic meats and complementary deli items. They now serve sausages stuffed with fillings such as apples and pork, jalapeño and pepper jack cheese, and even a goat bratwurst, all of which can be paired with specialty condiments and fine cheeses.

Paulina Meat Market has broadened the range of the meat counter to include unique cuts of beef, including Flat Iron and Hanger steaks, along with an option for grass-fed beef, Bill Kurtis’s Tallgrass Beef. Knowing that not everyone likes to cook or admit they use their oven for a dragon-hatching operation, the staff have also created a line of ready-to-eat entrees such as their famous chicken pot pies and corned beef hash. All the meat is locally sourced throughout within the Midwest, with the exception of the lamb, which comes from Colorado.