Marty Nowak an American Meat Specialist:
I started working in the
Food Industry in 1970, Vito's Pizza on Fullerton Ave. I
delivered Pizza Menus Door to Door. Then I got my break, Vito needed Help
with making Pizzas on the weekends. Myself and two of my friends, whom
also delivered the menus, were working at Vito's.
Then Vito sold his business
to an associate of his, Angelo. Now I ended up working for Angelo,
but my other two friends didn't want to work for him, so I was alone. He
taught me the art of Short Order Cooking, I already knew how to make
Pizzas by that time. I was going to High School, Gordon Tech,
at the time and on the Wrestling Team, Chicago, IL City Dual Meet Wrestling
Champs in 1973. Angelo worked my school schedule into his, I thank him
for that. I learned how to bone out meats, grind my own sausage, make
my own Ribs, and Fry my own Chicken. I was only 17 years old at the time.
Then I worked at Luxour
Bath House on North Avenue. That was good because I used the Sauna to
keep my weight down. I started out as the Dish Washer, but that put me in
the kitchen, where I learned how to cook Meals for the upper class
cliental that dinned there. I left as the Chef.
I was an Eagle Scout
so the customers Loved me. I found my Calling there, working with Meat. A
customer of the restaurant saw how I worked and asked me to
interview for a Meat Packing job. I got the job.
I worked for a Slaughter
House, AMPAC in the Stock Yards of Chicago. I started my way up the
ladder by opening up Hog Stomachs to Clean them (Hog Mauls). I became Kill
Floor Relieve Man. That was a tough job, especially Snatching Guts. Then I
went to College in Marshall, MO. and worked at a Beef Boning Plant in St.
Louis, First Meats of St. Louis. During my Spring and Summer Break
I came back to Chicago and worked as a Receiving Clerk for a Government
Contracted, Beef Boning Plant on the Southside, First Meats of Chicago.
That's where I learned how A USDA Doctor Thinks. I worked very
closely with the USDA Inspectors and Doctors'. They watched as the meat
came through the dock, then it would get Rolled (Graded). Grades of Meat
that would be processed there were USDA "Canner", USDA
"Utility", and USDA "Good". 1974's USDA
"Good" Meat is the same as 2001's USDA "Select" Meat.
That is where my Meat Expertise comes from. I would ask them questions on
why they Rolled that one Hind Quarter "Good" and another
"Canner". I learned as much as I could. It was my job to get the
Meat Graded as High as Possible. I would Weigh the Cattle In and the
Government Inspectors were next to me. I had one of my people Roll the
Meat so the Inspectors could take a break.
Then I worked for Fair
Share Foods. I learned how to cut Retail and became an Apprentice Meat
Cutter. I worked there 10 years, When I became Meat Manager.
My next challenge was
moving out of State to work at Giant Foods of Washington D.C. I
became assistant Meat Manager at the Gourmet Store in McLean, Virginia. I
served the Kennedy's and Muhammad Ali. I worked in
Virginia for 5 years and then Moved back to Chicago.
I found a Job at Omni
Super Store as a Meat Cutter. I left Omni as a Meat Manager because of
the Precut Meat flowing into our stores from Packing Houses. They were
laying off my Meat Cutters and bringing in Precuts. I was the Manager and
Meat Cutter, I left Omni.
I then rented out a Meat
Counter in a Grocery Store, Montrose Foods. What a mistake and waste of
time. They had no customer base.
I've worked in the Food
Industry for over 30 years, and even though I don't know everything, I do
know more than most of the people and friends' I know. That is why I put
this page together, to give you a chance to learn what I know.
Now I Educate Consumers on
how purchase that Perfect Cut of Meat. You the public deserve that.
I also go to School Now and
have learned how to program my own Software. All my Programs are Created
in Visual Basic , that makes them exe. files. They are not Viruses. The
source is Me, Marty Nowak, Eagle Scout and Wood Badge Recipient. These
Programs are as Safe as can be. They are easily Opened from My Server or
these files can be stored on a Floppy Disk, Virus Scanned, and then
Opened.
On August 27th, 2001 I
reentered the Food Industry by taking on a Full Time Position Meat Cutting
Position in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. I left for personal
reasons on March 30th, 2003.
On April 7th, 2003 I will
be working at a Certified Grocer In the City. I will be working there and
serving the thousands of customers that enter the doors each week.
Thanks Gingiss, for the
chance to learn how to use computers and create programs. Thank you Mike,
Rick, Chris Marsh, Chris Ruebelt, Diane and Maggie. I will miss you but a
new career awaits me. You Too! Tom Mitch, I'll always remember YOU.
Marty's Pledge
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