DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — Founded in 1954, Strauss Brothers, a historic Eastern Market staple has been part of Christina Parrott's life for as long as she can remember.
"My father started working at Strauss Brothers when he was a teenager. He eventually was took over the business from Walter Strauss, who started it," said Parrott.
The family memories are still fresh.
"We would go down to the market on the weekends. We would go to breakfast, go see my dad and grandpa, do shopping," she said.
The butchery turned into a bustling family market with Christina’s now late father, Tommy, at the helm with her grandfather. She calls them the dynamic duo.
"My dad was a great butcher and a great man to talk to people, knew everybody — and same with my grandpa; he still can go down to the Eastern Market and know everyone that's there somehow," she said.
So even when one chapter closed with the butchery shuttering in 2005 — the book wasn’t finished.
"We always knew we wanted to do something at some point in our life related to food, and together and family," said Christina's husband, Adam Meldrum.
So Christina and Adam decided to bring Strauss Brothers back to life as a revitalized brand.
"I think it's just a ton of nostalgia, and that's what drew me to it. You know, I married into this, this whole crazy Parrott clan and ... just the way they talked about it as part of their family and its history," said Adam.
The relaunch has started with three small-batch meat seasoning blends, Eastern Market Heat, Eastern Market Beef and Eastern Market GPS. The seasonings are part of that same family history.
"They were just they were family recipes. They were part of my grandmother's cooking. They were just every day, the way we cooked," said Christina.
And with the new launch, family is still at the forefront of everything they do — with Christina’s three sisters part of the new business venture.
"There is nothing more dynamic than Christina and her sisters together. It's the funniest thing in the world. So I didn't realize I was marrying all four of them when I married Christina ... but but we're doing it together and we're having a ton of fun," said Adam.
Christina said her grandfather is proud of the Strauss Brothers revival.
"His absolute biggest thing is family. He always says it's the joy of his life. So no matter how big or small this gets, he is as proud as if it was the biggest thing in the world. So they're very, very excited," said Christina.
Christina and Adam say they want to keep expanding Strauss Brothers — with a beefier product line and a brick and mortar presence.
For now, you can check out the seasonings distributed by Lipari Foods. You can shop for them online here and onEastern Market Online.
Christina says there is also a plan to fundraise and/or share profits from the relaunched business in the future to help families and individuals going through drug and alcohol recovery in honor of her late father.
