LOCAL
DISH
Mark and Stephanie Wilson outside their new second location just across from the airport.
“Meat” & Greet “The people of this town care about quality and want to be treated with kindness,” says Stephanie Wilson. She and her husband Mark have owned Maxbauer Meat Market for over 9 years, taking extreme pride in offering exceptional meats and service. “We feel so fortunate to be a part of the memorable events that happen around food,” Stephanie said. “Mark has spent 40 minutes over the phone with someone who has never cooked a Thanksgiving turkey before. So many people don’t know what an actual butcher is for. That is why we are here, bringing love to the table with easier access.” With more cooking in the kitchen, there’s a real need for protein. Maxbauer is answering the call, bringing its unique brand to the east side of town with a new location and twist. A 4,000 square foot production facility will add
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on to its meat empire, with cold storage, an online store and a “modern butcher” retail space they have named The Butcher’s Block by Maxbauer. “We realize not everyone can get downtown to have access to the quality products that we have. All our premium meats will be pre-packaged with attention to detail. In these uncertain times, we can choose fear, or we can choose giving and growing.” This second location is a million-dollar investment, state of the art, and filled with every detail imaginable. “We will have room for 22 palates of meat in the freezer, and a 20-foot by 40-foot meat cooler,” says Mark excitedly, as he took us on a personal tour. The production space is 225 square feet, filled with equipment like a $140,000 packing machine. In the raw room is a sausage machine, a burger machine that can pop out pucks of
over 100 patties a minute, and a mighty meat grinder that can bang out 2,000 pounds of burger in an hour. “We have built for growth,” laughs Mark. “It is impressive, with a smoke room, cooking room and a cooling room. (For all that famous jerky!) “My smoke room will be 10 times the size of what I have now.” The store will be monumental, offering bulk packages for planning ahead to single packs of meats and seafood just for dinner. “We will have the best meat and the best food with bagged quick and easy meal kits between $12-15. It will all be self-serve, one stop and done.” Don’t forget the wine and craft beer, they’ll have that too! “We won’t be selling toilet paper, you can get that across the street,” laughs Mark. 425 W. South Airport Rd, Traverse City maxbauers.com
