Stephen’s Meat – History into a Parking Lot
Show on mapBy Jonathan Haeber
The front wall of Stephens Meat Products in San Jose, California. This building no longer exists.
There was a time in our history in which a cut of meat, or links of sausage didn’t come from a chain supermarket. Meat wasn’t transported pre-cut, across the country, via refrigerated trains. There was a local butcher. He knew you personally, and likely had an order made especially for you, every week.
Stephens Meat Products is now a parking lot next to San Jose’s central train station. Those who happened to pass by when the building existed, and who were not regular customers of Stephens, would immediately be struck by the neon sign above the parapet and a 1950s-era sign depicting an illuminated pig (one which was animated, mind you).
The building was constructed in 1948, but the business itself dates as far back as the Depression Era. During World War II, meat was hard to come by, but Stephen Pizzo was able to find an uncle with a beef ranch in the hills. When times began to change, and the packaged meat industry was dawning, Pizzo was visionary enough to purchase the first vacuum-pack lunch meat wrapper West of the Missouri. “They said he was crazy,” said Bob Morrison, Pizzo’s son-in-law.
Eventually, Pizzo’s meat products company was fighting an uphill battle. The big guys were controlling every aspect of the meat processing industry — vertical integration is what it’s generally referred as — and Stephen’s couldn’t compete with rancher cooperatives out East, who were controlling every stage of the production. These companies became the Oscar Mayers, Armour, and Swifts of today.
Morrison, who took over the business from his father-in-law, focused on quality to keep afloat — and it worked for years. He scoffs at the sausage made by the “big guys.”
“Beef Broth,” he said in a disgusted manner, “That’s what plumps ‘em. I shudder to think where that broth comes from. We don’t need that. And our franks out-plump ‘em all,” pausing for a moment. Then he picked up a package of chorizo sausage from his ‘corporate’ competitor, “Go ahead. Read the ingredients,” pointing out the list, which included salivary glands, lymph nodes, and tongue trimmings. “It doesn’t excite me seeing that on a sausage label.”
By the turn of the century, though, Stephen’s Meat Products was closing down. After 63 years of providing links and dogs to ballparks, cafeterias, and supermarkets the company just couldn’t compete. In its final years, it focused on its strong suit — something the conglomerates had difficulty matching in quality — sausage.
“In the meat business, sausage making is the top of the line,” Morrison explains. “Anybody can kill, but making sausage come out the same every time? It’s an art.”
Popularity: 1% [?]
Reddit!
Del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Blinklist
Furl
February 7th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
anybody cumming 2 hawaii should hook up with me and suck on big mike’s meat
July 5th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
As a life long resident of San Jose, I greatly appreciated seeing these great photos and reading your commentary.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Thanks Faith. It was sad to see this place go, and it was a wonderful experience to see it before it did.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Thanks for having this info. Any “hot” leads to good sausage? Hubby wants real HOT links and having trouble finding. We use to get Stephen’s – now it’s a challenge! Great info and history. Thank you.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I grow up on the meat from this place my dad went there every week up unitl he died i remember they would call him and tell him that his order was ready i remember the 1st time i went with him i thought it was a old place. until i got older and started buying my meat from them as well because the store meat did not even compare at all to it. I moved away from san jose but i would still drive from sacramento to san jose to get my meat from them it was that good i hated it when they closed there doors but i was told i could get there meat still from a local butcher but now he does not carry it does anyone know where i can get the meat if i still can.
November 11th, 2008 at 11:20 am
STEPHEN’S LINKS are the best ever. Being stationed at Travis AFB, Ca…those links and hamhocks were in our Air Force commisssarys. They were so good after moving here to Dallas, Tx I stilled ordered them via FedEX. I’ve been sick and NOW they’re gone. What’s next sliced bread….Please tell me where I can get some of those links. ASAP for the holidays
December 6th, 2008 at 6:01 am
When we were living in Morgan Hill, I would take the hike up to San Jose and get enough to load my freezer. There was NONE better!
Great pictures, thank you.
Does anyone have a lead on good sausage.
Out here in Arkansas, we have two kinds of cookin’, fried and Bar-B-Q.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Stephen’s Hot Links (Beef and pork) can be purchased from Willow Glen Meats in San Jose. I must warn you however, they’ve gotten very pricey. I was quoted $47.50 for a case last week. Price increase justification (s)- (1) Cost of fuel (2) Casing price went up. (3) Because they can. Haven’t paid that price “yet” but, a couple of my friends which I introduced the Links too, are seriously considering paying the $47.50
April 26th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
One piece of good news is that the neon sign still exists, and is actually still illuminated from time to time. I can’t substantiate it, but I read somewhere that San Jose has instated a sign preservation policy, and now requires the historically significant “googy” signs must be preserved when buildings are demolished.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I LOVE YOUR HOT LINKS. I ALSO HAVE A FRIEND THAT MOVED TO JACKSON MISS. HE WOULD LIKE ME TO SHIP YOUR LINKS TO HIM.
HE SAYS THERE IS NO LINKS IN THE SOUTH COMPARED TO YOURS. THE ONLY PLACE WE KNOW TO PURCHASE YOUR LINKS IS TRAVIS AFB COMMISSARY. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME INFORMATION ON HOW I CAN ORDER YOUR LINKS AND SHIP THEM TO HIM. SINCERELY YOURS, GEORGE N CAGER JR.
254 STEPHEN ST
FAIRFIELD CA 94533
707-428-6337
BIGG300@COMCAST.NET
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Stephens hot dogs were the very best, I used to get cases of them in the good old days in San Jose. I am a hot dog lover and don’t think I will ever find any to compare with Stephens. If only I could!
May 17th, 2010 at 4:38 am
I JUST GOT OFF THE TELEPHONE WITH GILDA KABBANI FROM GILDAS BIG APPLE HOT DOGS AND SHE WAS INQUIRING OF ME ABOUT STEPHENS MEATS AND YOUR WONDERFUL ALL BEEF HOT LINKS AND THE 1/6 POUND ALL BEEF HOT DOGS AND WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD CONTACT HER TO SUPPLY HER WITH SOME OF YOUR FAMOUS PRODUCTS. GILDA KABBANI 206-399-4659, SHE IS DOING SOME CATERING AND COOKING. THANK YOU JERRY NEWTON 209-535-5783