Lacey's German Butcher: A Story Of The American Dream

LACEY, NJ — "Best of the Wurst" is the unofficial motto of the German Butcher. But no one knows where it originated, according to owner Wolfgang Barsch.

It's a fitting one considering the longevity of the Barsch family-owned business that dates back to over a century ago in Oranienburg, a town located in Brandenburg, Germany. The German Butcher is now celebrating 50 years at their 109 Lacey Road location.

The Barsch family location originated with a large slaughterhouse and sausage-making business. Barsch's mother, Irmgard, was the second female in Germany to earn a master's degree in sausage making, Barsch says.

Irmgard and the family decided that living Soviet-controlled East Germany was not a good life and they fled to West Berlin.

Freedom was the Barsch family objective, and they felt the United States was their best option. In 1969, they emigrated to America and called Forked River home. They moved to their current store location in 1999.

"Irmgard was instilled with the belief that it was best to give back to your community," said Heidi Daly, daughter of Wolfgang and current co-owner alongside her brother Andrew.

The German Butcher works closely with local sports teams, police and fire departments. They donate to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters for events and holidays, as well as the Easter Seals.

As for the upcoming holidays, Daly organizes the Thanksgiving orders and distributes them to the appropriate departments. It's all a team effort with everything being homemade so customers can bring it home to "heat and eat," Daly said.

The Thanksgiving menu features turkey breast in gravy, turducken with cranberry stuffing, stuffed turkey breast in gravy, smoked or fresh kielbasa and hickory smoked hams.

The side dishes range from sweet potatoes, sausage stuffing, a vegetable medley, beets, carrots, cranberry sauce and stuffed mushrooms. Customers can purchase stuffed breads like pepperoni, Philly, eggplant parmesan, chicken parm or ham. For dessert there is a wide variety of pies ranging from apple to peach, pumpkin and a strawberry rhubarb.

"My brother and I love making people happy through food," Daly said. "We sample everything we make, and we want to share that passion with the community."

The German Butcher also offers a robust Holiday menu with large platters such as shrimp cocktail, antipasto and London broil platters. For a main course, customers have options like the NY strip loin roast, leg or rack of lamb, a holiday tavern ham, smoked pork ham, and smoked or fresh kielbasa.

While the choices of stuffed breads remains the same, customers can order sides such pierogies, twice-baked potatoes, string beans with bacon and onion as well as cranberry sauce.

"The food is exceptional, the service is great and I've been coming here for 20 years," said Berkeley resident Colleen Lebert. "I've never had a problem here."

Aside from over-the-counter orders, the German Butcher complements their growing customer base with a diverse menu for breakfast and lunch. Two of the showcase coffee options are the Jamaican and Colombian blends.

Some of the popular items from the Butcher's eatery are the rueben sandwich, Philly cheesesteaks and homemade bratwurst, according to Daly.

"We got a group of guys that meet here four times a week for breakfast, and I pick up stuff for dinner," said Mike Ulaki, a Forked River resident. "I've been coming here for quite awhile now and I've been buying their products since 1998."

"It's convenient to us because we live five minutes away," said Janet Groff, who was there with fellow Forked River resident Mike Groff. "We come here twice a week for lunch. We like the regulars, the food is very good, we never had a bad meal and we see a lot of our neighbors. It's a friendly, hometown place."

"We pride ourselves on being a family-owned business and our employees are an extended part of our family," Daly said.

To keep up to date on specials from the German Butcher, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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