Locals celebrate success of Oscar's Smokehouse

WARRENSBURG — Wrapping up sausages behind the counter at Oscar's Smokehouse for one of hundreds of customers purchasing meats and other products, Dave Decker paused and gestured towards his sons Christopher, 30, and Daniel, 17 who were also at work in the renowned local enterprise. "It's awesome working here — I've supported my family over my whole life on my employment at Oscar's," said Dave, who has worked at the iconic business for 28 years. The Deckers and other employees of Oscar's were exceptionally busy on Oct. 16, the day Oscar's Smokehouse celebrated their 70th anniversary situated on the side of Hackensack Mountain in Warrensburg, where three generations of the Quintal family have produced gourmet smoked meats and cheeses for tens of thousands of loyal customers. An estimated 1,500 of these customers showed up for the celebration, congratulating Jerry Quintal and his wife Kathy and their sons on the enterprise's longevity and present success. ORIGINS In 1940, Oscar Quintal and his wife Edith came to Warrensburg from Canada. In 1943 they opened the original Oscar's Smoke House in the Warrensburgh Music Hall on Main St. downtown, but a fire destroyed the building in 1945. Determined to continue his popular enterprise, Oscar Quintal built a brick smokehouse and retail meat store a stretch north at the present location, and the business has thrived ever since. Oscar's son Jerry Quintal started working there as a teenager, growing the business to its present prominence. His son Joq is now heading up the operation, backed up by brother Joel and brother in-law Gabe Egloff. With their internet sales and endorsement of celebrity chef and talk-show sensation Rachael Ray, their business has blossomed, as their smoked meats and cheeses are achieving national fame. 8 MILLION POUNDS OF BACON As through those 70 years, Oscar's has sold an estimated 8 million pounds of bacon alone — and countless more tons of hams, sausages and hundreds of other smoked, cured and fresh products, primarily meats and cheeses. Their business has also provided dozens of year-round jobs in an Adirondack town that until recently has hosted limited employment opportunities. Decker said at Sunday's celebration he was fortunate not only that he could walk to work, but that the local jobs have kept his sons from moving out of town. Gazing at the crowd filling the smokehouse's parking lot, Jerry offered a similar thought. "We've been blessed by this community, and that my family has been able to work here for generations," he said. Decker had earlier expressed his appreciation for the Quintals and their commitment to the citizens of Warrensburg. He recalled the major fire that burned the store and smokehouse to the ground in 2009, and how the Quintals continued to pay him and their other full-time employees for five months while the business was being rebuilt, but had no revenue, Decker recalled. "The Quintals kept paying their employees for months out of their own pockets while rebuilding," he said. "They are a phenomenal family." LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Just recently, the Quintals built a historic-looking red barn just downhill from their smokehouse and store, to accommodate their online sales and shipping as well as storage. They've also added three new smokers to handle the ever-greater popularity of their products. Joq Quintal said that although Oscar's online sales had increased substantially over the past six years or so, walk-in customers remained responsible for 85 to 90 percent of the sales. The last full year before the 2009 fire, Oscar's had $2.5 million in gross revenue. In 2015, it was about $5 million, Quintal said. The company has recently branched out with new offerings: low-salt and low-fat meats, and a totally natural bacon — without nitrates; cured instead with sea salt, unprocessed sugar, and using celery seed as a preservative. Also, their new specialty concoctions, including their smoked blue cheese spread, have impressed their fans, including Rachael Ray. LOCAL PRAISE On a proclamation issued by the town council, Warrensburg Supervisor Kevin Geraghty offered his congratulations for Oscar's in helping the town by providing "many civic and economic benefits" over 70+ years. A proclamation by state Sen. Betty Little also praised the success of Oscar's, and how it's boosted Warrensburg's economy — as well as its recent green initiatives of geothermal heating and cooling, low-energy lighting and super-insulated facilities. Joq looked over the hundreds of people gathered in Oscar's parking lot, swapping memories while eating hamburgers and other foods at the anniversary party the enterprise hosted. "Our success is a culmination of hard work — Dad has done a lot through the years for our family, our business, our employees and our community," he said. "The number of people here today says it all."

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Locals celebrate success of Oscar's Smokehouse

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