It’s no secret that food is a delicious component to Kansas City culture, and Krizman’s Sausage has been a part of this for more than 75 years. At the locally-owned and operated meat market located in the historic Strawberry Hill area of Kansas City, KS, the Krizmans have been welcoming locals and visitors into their family from the start.
Joseph Krizman Sr. founded his small business along with his brother-in-law, Matt Grisnik in 1939. The Croatian refugees came to America and began building their dream with Grisnik and Krizman, a corner grocery store and sausage market filled with family recipes. The wild popularity of the ethnic sausages lead to the development of Krizman’s Sausage in 1972. The new establishment would be operated solely as a meat market, featuring some of the finest cuts of meat and the most mouth-watering sausages in the Kansas City area.
Today, current owner Joseph Krizman III carries on the family tradition by producing sausages made with only the freshest of natural ingredients. Each batch is handled with care, just the way it has always been. Krizman’s Sausage now distributes its delicacies to restaurants all over the metro area. It’s retail store and meat market features bockwurst, salami, fresh rubs and seasonings, and more.
We caught up with Joseph Krizman III to talk a little about his specialties: food, family and Kansas City.
What is a “must-try” at Krizman’s Sausage?
A must try at Krizman's Sausage would depend on what you want to do with the product. For smoking we make several types of barbecue sausages that are wonderful. For simmering in water, we make a Polish Sausage.That has been our mainstay for over 75 years. It’s fantastic served with our homemade sauerkraut. For the adventurous we make a blood sausage.That is a true delicacy.
The Strawberry Hill area of downtown Kansas City, KS is an incredibly unique part of the city. What is your favorite part about this area?
My favorite part about this area is all of the different churches that are represented. I can only imagine what Sundays were like back in the day when you had dozens of churches in one small area celebrating their services. I also enjoy the view from Strawberry Hill overlooking the river and KCMO.
Krizman’s Sausage is a tradition in many Kansas City households. What is your favorite Kansas City tradition?
My favorite Kansas City tradition is taking my kids to see things that my wife and I treasure from when we were kids growing up in Kansas City: The Plaza lights, Royals games, Worlds of Fun, and of course great restaurants
Learn more about Krizman's Sausage here.
