Yanki Sonnenschein will be bringing Manchester’s Yankees Meats’ to Gourmet Foods in Leeds. JLife spoke to the business owner to find out more.
After becoming the premier kosher butcher in Manchester after just two years, Yanki Sonnenschein of Yankees Meats has recently acquired Gourmet Foods on Harrogate Road.
Yanki Sonnenschein, owner of Yankees Meats, is a fifth-generation butcher, specialising in wholesale items and kosher food products. Having established a firm following in Manchester, he is now bringing his butchery skills to Leeds. Yanki explained: “A lot of people in Leeds who are aware of our quality of service are inclined to order from us in Manchester. By keeping it in the region, bringing down prices and offering extra special service, I’m confident Gourmet Foods will enter into a fantastic new era.”
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather who cultivated a cattle farm before emigrating to the UK, Yanki has been keeping the family tradition alive in the Prestwich area of Manchester since 2014. There are also plans to introduce new products such as veal to the already wide range of meat and grocery products on offer.
Yankee Meats is the result of five generations in the butchering trade for the Sonnenschein family. His grandfather Yosef was a respected butcher and farmer, working in Germany in the 1930s until he was forced to emigrate to Britain. Using his skills and expertise to provide kosher products to the immigrant community of Manchester, the trade has been lovingly kept alive ever since. Yanki hopes to bring the business into the 21st century, adding that: “While the family atmosphere continues, modern business acumen and forward-thinking remain the order of the day.”
Gourmet Foods may be in new hands, but the high-quality service and affordable ranges will remain at the heart of its philosophy. The shop will continue to offer special promotions wherever possible, including family favourites and innovative new lines. These include meat platters, mince and stewing meat steak, helzel stuffing and nine types of sausages that use chicken, lamb and beef.
Though Yankees Meats is new in town, Yanki hopes the butchers becomes the reliable and convenient choice for kosher products in West Yorkshire; an old-fashioned high-street butchery, with modern standards, right on your doorstep.