Whole Story

Okay, leute (that’s “folks” in German), with Oktoberfest just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to talk sausages and Sausage Meisters! For those of you not familiar with the term “Meister,” the direct translation from German is “Master” — as in a master craftsman. Before we worked here, a few team members (myself included) went through a Sausage Meister apprenticeship program in Europe and we became official Meisters. Skipping forward a few years, we wanted to bring the same skills into the Meat Department at Whole Foods Market so our customers could have sausages made fresh in-house. Over the last few years, we developed a training program similar to the one in Europe for our own Whole Foods Market Sausage Meisters. Today, each store has several meat team members who are elite Sausage Meisters. As a result of the training program and their own skill and sheer commitment to the craft, they have perfected the method of grinding, seasoning, stuffing, linking and making sausages in-house each day just for you! Our teams have developed over 40 different custom-made sausages that are made daily in our stores! Besides pork sausages, we have chicken, turkey, lamb and buffalo sausages available too. If you like traditional flavors, try one of these top-selling Authentic Traditional sausages:

• Mild Italian
• Hot Italian
• Bratwurst
• Smoky Cajun Andouille
• Chorizo
• Country Breakfast with Sage & Maple
• Garlic & Basil
• Mergeza
• Banger
• Louisiana Hot

And if you enjoy something a little different, try one of these top-selling Gourmet Specialty sausages:

• Lemon Herb with Thyme
• Habanero & Green Chili
• Garlic & Basil with Sun Dried Tomato
• Country Valley Apple Spice
• Tequila Lime
• Tuscan Style with Roasted Peppers
• Buffalo Style with Blue Cheese & Louisiana Hot Sauce
• Teriyaki with Pineapple
• Caribbean
• Garlic & Mesquite

And if those custom-made sausages aren’t tempting enough, you can also feel good knowing that the meat in these sausages comes from pigs and chicken raised to meet Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Program. With so many flavors, every day can be sausage day! These delicious, house-made sausages are a quick and easy meal. Try a few of our recipes or make up your own: Beer-Poached Grilled Sausage Chorizo and Sun-Dried Tomato Rice with Spinach Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Mushrooms Easy Southern Sausage, Beans and Rice Black Bean and Chorizo Soup Baked Sausage and Sauerkraut with Apples Bowtie Pasta with Sausage and Sage Arugula and Baby Greens with Sausage and Fennel Our website has over 50 more sausage recipes! So, have you tried our in-house sausages? Which variety is your favorite?