A staple in the community Tallent Sausage has been serving up fresh meat for over four decades
STORY & PHOTOS BY JOSH CRISWELL
Looking back on the company ’ s history , it ’ s easy to understand why Tallent Sausage prides itself on providing a family-like atmosphere .
Started by Tommy Tallent in 1977 , Tallent Sausage is currently run by his granddaughter Ashley Roberts and son Ron Tallent . The business has been family-owned and operated since day one , and an owner can be found on site almost any day of the week .
“ It was my grandfather ’ s idea ,” Roberts said . “ He was a meat cutter in Houston for a long time , and at some point he decided he wanted to open his own business and move out of Houston . He decided to move to this area and do that . As my dad tells it , he was young , broke and needed a job , so he was all in . It was my grandfather , my grandmother , my dad and my Uncle John .
“ Myself and my dad are the current owners , but it ’ s been a family business since 1977 . I ’ m the third generation .”
Tallent Sausage has a little bit of everything to offer , with a full-service meat counter , grocery section and deli , which serves up favorites such as hot barbecue and pulled pork . Hamburger meat is ground fresh every day , and everything is cut in-house .
Obviously , however , sausage is what they are best known for . Located off Highway 19 in Riverside , Tallent Sausage even changed its name to reflect its most popular offering .
“ What we ’ re most well-known for is our sausage , and that ’ s why we ’ re called Tallent Sausage ,” Roberts said . “ We were originally Riverside Supermarket , but after the sausage caught on we switched over . We have our line of staple products , then over the years we ’ ve developed new ones to add to the lineup , and it ’ s just kind of grown from there .”
The “ tried and true ” original and German smoked sausage are the top sellers , but there are a lot of newcomers as well — including a popular green onion sausage . Beef jerky is a new item as well , with Tallent Sausage already garnering some awards for the product .
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