THE TAPHOUSE Specialty Meat Market in downtown Owosso was opened recently by John and Tonia Taphouse and Nicholas Pidek. John and Tonia can be seen in their market, with the company’s mission statement on the wall behind them. The Taphouses encourage families to “Meat Around the Table.” The mission statement reads:
“We believe strong families are built one shared meal at a time. Our vision is to bring people around a table to experience a moment, a memory and a meal. We’ve seen the power a great piece of meat can have by bringing people from far and wide to celebrate which matters most: being together.”
(Independent Photo/Graham Sturgeon)
The Taphouse Specialty Meat Market opened in downtown Owosso on Thursday, Oct. 26 and the family-owned business has been welcomed heartily by the community.
“The response has been absolutely incredible,” gushed John Taphouse, co-owner of the Taphouse Specialty Meat Market. “This is what I call community. The community has really stepped up and welcomed us. From the first day they’ve been here and it means a lot to me. I just loved being here when they come in and chatting with them, even if they aren’t here to make a purchase.”
John has been a butcher for 36 years, and after years working for other people, he was enticed by his family and friends to open his own meat market.
“My friends and family finally convinced me that it was time to do it myself,” explained John. “I’ve got the knowledge to do it myself, so I decided it was time. Nick [Pidek], my business partner and the co-owner of the Foster Coffee Company, was instrumental in getting me to finally take that leap. He has helped me every step of the way.”
The Taphouse Specialty Meat Market is run by the Taphouse family. The staff includes John and his wife, Tonia; his daughter, Shelby; his son-in-law, Emerson; his son-in-law’s brother, Ethan and his son-in-law’s brother-in-law, Vonzell. Emerson and Vonzell are in training to be butchers themselves and John hopes to keep the business in the family long after he hangs up his apron.
The family spent months preparing the space at 204 W. Main Street, creating an “old country market feel” by adding new flooring and custom wood shelving to accommodate the store’s selection of sauces, rubs, salsas, chip, pretzels and other specialty items. Climate-controlled display cases were installed, and the family sectioned off the open space to add a meat cooler and a cutting room, the latter of which has large windows to allow patrons to view the meat cutting in action.
Taphouse serves chicken, pork and beef, in any quantity, as well as some smoked items. John noted that he is not a fan of pre-packaged food, so he encourages community members to stop in for cuts of any size, from one pork chop to a full side of beef. The market also offers milk, cheeses and some deli items.
To learn more about the Taphouse Specialty Meat Market, visit www.taphousemarket.com.
