A Cut Above the Rest

“You gotta be proud when you've been in business 80 years. Some businesses don't last 80 months,” says former owner Robert Steigerwald, now retired (pictured left). His son Jeff co-owns the butcher shop today; The original Liehs & Steigerwald on Grant Boulevard. It also has locations in downtown Syracuse and Clay.

Butcher shops once dotted the North Side of Syracuse, but Liehs & Steigerwald is the only one left in the neighborhood. Founded in 1936 by two German immigrants, its legacy is carried on today by third-generation owner Jeff Steigerwald and his business partner, Chuck Madonna.

With a new brick-and-mortar restaurant downtown, the shop shows no signs of slowing down. We stopped by the original location on Grant Boulevard to see what’s kept the business in business for over three generations.

Co-owner Chuck Madonna (pictured above) started working at Liehs & Steigerwald when he was 15, cleaning walls, ceilings, and floors. “I’m too stubborn to leave,” he says. Employees manufacture most of the products Monday through Wednesday in the back of the shop.

When the Liehs & Steigerwald staff isn't making products, they're constantly cutting fresh steaks and pork chops for the counter.

PHOTOS: TARA BOTWINICK