Charlie the Butcher celebrates National Roast Beef Day

Williamsville, N.Y. (WBEN) - June 12 is National Roast Beef Day, and Charlie the Butcher is celebrating the occasion by introducing and sharing one of the country's most distinctive regional sandwich traditions - the Beef on Weck - to consumers through grocery stores, restaurants and family tables.

A fourth-generation family business founded in 1914, Charlie the Butcher has preserved one of Buffalo's iconic food staples at several locations throughout the Western New York region. Known for hand-carved roast beef sandwiches and old-world preparation techniques enhanced by modern cooking technology, Charlie the Butcher's deli roast beef products are also available in grocery stores throughout New York State, bringing a regional favorite beyond Western New York and into homes across the region.

"It is an honor to represent roast beef here in Western New York," said Bonnie Roesch, also known as "Mrs. Charlie the Butcher". "Roast beef started in England for a Sunday roast, and it became a Monday leftover, which is how it became a roast beef sandwich. So we are so excited that here in Buffalo, not only do we have a roast beef sandwich, but we have the history of a Beef on Weck that is way, way, way before chicken wings were even ever thought of."

To better understand the significance of the Beef on Weck, you have to go back to the late 1800s in Buffalo.

"It really originated at the waterfront, right where that Great Lakes cruise ship is parked as we speak," Roesch detailed. "Most people don't know that it was the immigrants that all worked here along the Erie Canal, and it was a bar owner and a German baker that partnered, and that is how the sandwich started. The pretzels and beer just weren't cutting it at mealtime, and those two smart individuals got together, and that's the history of Beef on Weck."

From there, Charlie Roesch's grandfather started the Charlie the Butcher company, and spent more than 80 years serving customers from its shop in Buffalo's historic Broadway Market, building a reputation for quality and craftsmanship that continues to this day.

The company's recognizable apron-clad brand identity was developed after Charlie took over the family business, and has since become a symbol of Buffalo hospitality and tradition. The company's flagship restaurant, Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen, opened in 1993 at the corner of Cayuga Road and Wehrle Drive, and has become a popular destination for both locals and visitors seeking Buffalo's iconic Beef on Weck and other regional favorites.

Roesch can really sense that Beef on Weck, more now than ever, is getting its legs.

"We are really on a campaign to say, 'Move over chicken wing. Make room for your older brother, Beef on Weck!' said Roesch with WBEN. "We at Charlie the Butcher are hearing how many people are wanting that. Our flagship Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen is located a mile from the airport, so we get a lot of people there that are from out-of-town and really want that sandwich. That is one reason why Beef on Whack is ready to spread out into the rest of the country. But the other is we all know that a lot of people have left Western New York, but they did not leave their appetite behind. So they love Beef on Weck, and they are requesting it. As a matter of fact, there's a new Wegmans that's going to open in Charlotte, and we'll see what's in that store."

Roesch takes great pride in the partnerships Charlie the Butcher has with local grocery stores in the region, with almost 50 delis alone throughout New York State.

"We are so proud to have been there, and now moving forward, we have this manufactured deli roast beef that we are very proud of. And the reason we're here in Dash's today is to partner with another 100-plus-year-old company that said, 'Yes, let's take on this local beef'. That's where we're at with our roast beef," Roesch said.

So what's the staple way to enjoy a Beef on Weck? It starts with either buying a top round and slow roasting it, or finding some roast beef in the deli section and getting it freshly sliced.

"To get an all natural sliced roast beef, you start there. Then you dip it in the au jus," Roesch detailed. "You either buy a nice Kimmelweck roll, if you can find it, and if you can't, you just buy a Kaiser roll - that's what we're doing today is offering the Kimmelweck mix, which is pretzel salts and caraway seeds - and you just sprinkle, sprinkle after you put it on an egg wash, you bake it in the oven for five minutes, and you get a beautiful Kimmelweck roll. And then, part of that waterfront bar scene I think it was between the pretzels and the beer wasn't enough, so when they made the sandwich, they said, 'And a dollop of horseradish,' which is a beautiful compliment to roast beef, caraway, and au jus."

And whether or not someone prefers their Beef on Weck with more au jus or even some ketchup, Roesch says as long as people are enjoying roast beef, or have some special memories of enjoying your Beef on Weck, she hopes folks are able to taste what Buffalo is all about.