If there’s one thing on which Stan Stefanski, owner of Big Frank’s Sausage, can count, it’s that the food of his people is a great unifier.
Unless you’re of the non-pork-eating persuasion, people of all religions, colors and areas in the region are drawn to Polish food, Stefanski has found in the nearly four years he’s operated his deli and restaurant.
And the more outlandish the sandwich, the better – his newest creation, the Swinie, a behemoth of ham, bacon and sausage slathered in horseradish on a bun, is probably not recommended by the American Heart Association, but it sure is one of his biggest sellers just the same.
Food may not have been what Stefanski, of Highland, originally envisioned when he decided 18 years of working retail was more than enough. But having watched his mom cook and his dad make sausage growing up, he knew it best, so he and older brother Frank, the joint’s namesake, tested the waters by selling their sausage at various festivals.
“We used to cater weddings in the early 90s at the Polish National Alliance Hall, which is no longer there, and then we started selling it at Pierogi Fest,” Stefanski said. “Frank learned from dad how to make the sausage, but he started adding his own seasoning.”
Then the right opportunity came at the right time when someone he knew had space on Carrol Street. Big Frank’s was a deli first, selling the sausage, lunchmeat and cheeses plus cooked food, but people were really wanting his cooked food, like his double fist-sized golumpki, more.
With that, he opened the restaurant and expanded the menu to add items like the Polish hamburger, which is comprised of 50 percent beef and 50 percent pork, Polish pizza and soups, among other things he watched his mom make.
The Swinie, however, is all his creation.
“It’s the type of food you have to exercise after eating,” Stefanski said.
After about two and a half years of years of trial and error, Stefanski knew he’d made the right move. He recently spent $10,000 in improvements to the restaurant, including an exhaust system, and he eventually wants to expand the original space to include a full bar and more room. He’s also in the process of purchasing a 3-way liquor license.
“We sell a lot of craft beers here, but we won’t sell them unless I like them,” he said. “For me to increase business, we have to have more room, so the idea is to have a bar and restaurant.”
Wholesaling his sausage is another idea he’d like to explore, as is bringing his fare further south. Opening a Big Frank’s in Highland would be a nice next step, he said.
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“We have to try different things, but you can’t overspend, either. That’s how people lose their butts,” Stefanski said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance writer.
Big Frank’s Sausage
1417 Carrol St., East Chicago
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
$6 to $11
219-378-9556 or bigfrankssausage.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Franks-Sausage/113077635453564