Surprise Your Sweetheart, Clients or Employees with a Gift of Gourmet Foods
Entrees to Excellence/Prince Meat Company moved its gourmet foods and gifts retail and mail-order operation to Lemont in October.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – and whether you are planning a romantic candlelight meal for two or want to send something unique and delicious to a loved one in another state, Jean Weck of Entrees to Excellence/Prince Meat Company has more than a few suggestions for you.
Walk in to the shop at 239 Canal St. in downtown Lemont and choose from the store’s wide selection of gourmet meats, decadent chocolates, coffee, tea and cocoa; hand-rolled cigars, fresh fruit and more to take home – or have the goodies shipped to that special loved one, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The name on the window says, “Prince Meat Company,” which Weck’s late father, Irwin Pasiewicz, started in 1973 on Route 171 in Lockport. Having learned the business working with her dad over the years, Weck kept the Prince name and reputation for the finest meats – and added other gourmet foods and gifts under the Entrees to Excellence label.
The company moved to Shorewood in 2001 and operated there for 11 years, and this October, Weck and her business partner since 1975, Larry Wagener, moved the gourmet food shop to the Canal Street location just in time for the company’s busiest season – the holidays.
Weck said December is by far the company’s busiest month, when corporate clients order custom gift baskets, premium steaks, fine wines and more, which Entrees to Excellence then ships to the clients’ customers and employees as thank-you gifts, rewards or incentives.
“Most of our orders come in from the Internet,” Weck said. “We have a national sales rep team in 46 of the states – and we sell our products to Fortune 500 companies for their incentive and loyalty programs.”
Listed on a sign in Entrees to Excellence’s lobby are corporate clients such as General Motors, Staples, Wells Fargo, Toyota, Bank of America, Amazon.com, Verizon and more – followed by the slogan, “If they can trust us with their customers, so can you!”
Building on the success of its corporate business, the gourmet food company’s move to Lemont marks the first time it has operated a retail store, Weck said, and she’s excited about the possibilities “in store” for customers – whether individuals or companies.
So this Valentine’s Day, surprise your sweetheart with a home-cooked dinner featuring tender, juicy cuts of USDA Prime filet mignon, warm-water lobster tails or jumbo Gulf shrimp, topped off by a slice of handmade cheesecake or a sweet treat from a beautifully packaged box of chocolate truffles.
It’s been said that “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” so if you want to send a special treat to that special someone, hurry in to Entrees to Excellence before Tuesday to be sure your package arrives by Feb. 14.
Entrees to Excellence/Prince Meat Company’s retail store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or to order online, visit www.EtoEGifts.com.
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