Conquering the perils of perishables for 85 years

By Gabrielle Mosquera

A Steak in History

Few catalogers can parallel their growth alongside that of a nation’s, but Omaha Steaks is one of them.

The company was founded in 1917 by J.J. Simon and his son, B.A., who, along with J.J.’s wife, fled from Latvia in 1898 to escape religious persecution.

Upon arrival in the United States, the family took a west-bound train and got off in Omaha, NE, because it looked similar to the farm country they had left. They bought a building and began a company with only a cooler and a freezer to its name (Table Supply Meat Co.), which itself was borrowed from the building’s previous owner.