Vienna Beef celebrates 125 years

Vienna Beef, the Chicago, IL, hotdog maker is celebrating 125 years in business. Founded in 1893, Austrian-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany introduced their family frankfurter recipe at the legendary World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair. According to the company’s website, Vienna Beef manufactured approximately 104,145,480 individual hot dogs and polish sausage in its Chicago USDA Establishment No. 1 Facility in 2014. And if you want a true Chicago-style dog, here’s what to include: Vienna beef hot dog topped with chopped onions, diced/wedged tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, pickled hot peppers (sport peppers), pickle relish, mustard, and celery salt, and served on a poppy seed bun. And as Chicagoans advise: Never use ketchup…unless you are under 18 year of age. — WLJ