Stawnichy's Celebrates 60 Years of Quality Food

Emily Mailhot Reporter – Vegreville News Advertiser

Over the past 60 years, Stawnichy’s Mundare Sausage has been established as something of an institution in Alberta, especially among local people and businesses. How does a company go from making garlic ham sausage in the back of the general store to serving thousands from locations in Mundare and Edmonton?

To find out, let’s start at the beginning. Stawnichy’s story began in the back of Anna and Woytko Stawniczy’s general store when the couple decided to bring the traditional savoury meats they enjoyed as kids to their community. Working in front of one small sausage smoker, they put the wheels in motion that have put Stawnichy’s on the menu for homes across the province over the past 60 years.

In 1965, Woytko’s son Edward (Uncle Ed) and his high school sweetheart Jane Stefanyk (Auntie Jane) joined the family business in 1965 to run Stawnichy’s Mundare Sausage, which quickly moved on from one sausage smoker to a full processing facility. Around this time, Ed’s name and the restaurant’s name were both anglicized from “Stawniczy’s” to the familiar “Stawnichy’s” we see today.

In 1986, they further expanded to open the Stawnichy’s Mundare Sausage House in Edmonton, to bring their quality food to the masses in the big city. It wasn’t long before Uncle Ed’s, a signature take-out or sit-down restaurant, was also opened from this location. Their theme, “Just like Baba used to make them,” means that the simple traditional meals were served hot, quick, and with care. “We like to think of our Ukrainian comfort food as the best in the city, and through numerous awards over the years, Albertans have tended to agree with us.” The Uncle Ed’s menu advertises.

Over the next twenty years, Stawnichy’s continued to grow, with Edward and Jane’s daughters Colette and Cheryl joining the company as shareholders and a steady rise in demand and fabulous reputation for the quality and flavour of their food. In 2006, they finally outgrew their old Edmonton restaurant and moved to the current Edmonton location for Uncle Ed’s and Stawnichy’s Mundare Sausage House where they continue to serve customers.

In 2009, Edward Stawnichy was able to see the business he had built turn a half-century old before his passing later on that year. He is memorialized on the Uncle Ed’s menu as; “not only an entrepreneur, he was also a local politician, a philanthropist, and an overall good time.”

At Stawnichy’s, they remain proud of their Albertan and Ukrainian heritage and work hard to preserve the values and tradition of authentic food that date back to the days when Anna and Woytko Stawniczy first brought their specialty meat and Ukrainian food to their Mundare general store. As a result, they continue to add newly developed products to their wide range of traditional food options to keep up with the dynamic tastes of Albertans.

“Tastes may change,” they proclaim. “Trends come and go. But the love of good food for good people will always prevail at Stawnichy’s. Thank you for joining us for an authentic taste of Ukraine!”

The anniversary celebration on August 24th, 2019, includes an open invitation to all their neighbours, valued customers, and friends for a Block Party, on Mundare’s main street. They are also celebrating all year with a series of customer appreciation days, a giant BB-inspired sweepstakes giveaway, and more.