BACON PHOTO BY ARYN HENNING NICHOLS
BELOW PHOTOS BY KRISTINE JEPSEN
polashek’s loCker O
BY KRISTINE JEPSEN
ne step in the door of Polashek’s Locker in Protivin, Iowa, and it hits you: the heady aroma of the curing process, a swirl of sugary salt, chased by woodsmoke. This is a business that knows beef, pork, and venison nose to tail – and how to put it on the table year-round, from brats to bacon to snack sticks…even ready-to-heat omelet patties, which were crowned the 2019 Grand Champion Innovative Pork Product by the Iowa Pork Processors Association. First, it’s pronounced “Pol-AH-shek’s,” emphasis second syllable, “but almost everyone gets it wrong the first time,” says Adam Polashek with a chuckle. He and his brother Cory grew up in the family business, founded in this very Czech hamlet by their parents, Paul and Judy, in 1983.
Outdoor All your Patio
favorite local brews under one roof!
206 W Water St, Decorah, IA Open 11AM-12AM Daily Kitchen Hrs: 11AM-10PM 563-382-5970 tbocks.com 24 01
Driftless Food Guide / 2019 . driftlessfood.com
The best organic wings in town!
Outdoor Patio Patio
Dining
(MAY-SEPT)