Our History

     Eugene L Kohn founded City Foods, Inc. in 1939. Eugene started working for his uncle in a small beef slaughtering operation during the depression in the 1930’s. When Eugene was 19 years old, decided to strike out on his own.  He delivering 100 lb. barrels of shortening in a used 1937 truck he bought for $300.00.

     After serving in World War II in China, Eugene began service restaurants out of his truck with a limited line of meat items. His brother Rudy soon joined him. In the mid 1950’s they bought a store and turned it into a small distribution / manufacturing factory.  This store was an old fashioned butcher shop, with sawdust on the floors.

     Working 12 to 14 hours a day, they would cut loins, strips and chunks by themselves.  They also distributed other meats to service a growing list of restaurants and other meat wholesalers.  A salesman, Eddie Levy joined them and helped build their business. In 1965 a new location for City Foods was built at 4230 South Racine Avenue in Chicago - part of where City Foods is today.He brought in forequarters and hindquarters on rails, and boned them out with a small crew of 8 – 10 workers. City Foods become federally inspected in 1968 and decided concentrate on his forte, boning out large quantities of navels.

     City Foods steadily built volume until in 1980, when his son Kenneth Kohn joined the company. City Foods expanded their operations buying the building next door, an addition was built between the buildings joining them. This allowed City Foods to effectively more than double their output of meats.

     In 1985, Nathan Levine, a former owner of a corned beef and pastrami business in New York joined City Foods. He launched City Foods, Inc. into the business of manufacturing “BEA’S BEST” Raw Corned Beef. Sales took off with the help of Kenneth Kohn, now sales manager.

     In 1990, aware of the demand for pre-cooked quality deli items,Eugene expanded City Foods again, added a corning and cooking processing and packing room. This addition allowed City Foods to naturally smoke beef bacon, cooked roast beef, corned beef, pastrami, and prime rib.

This was Eugene's 5th addition to City Foods, Inc.  After 64 years, Eugene is still active in the business at 83, working everyday to make sure everything is running smoothly at City Foods.

City Foods, Inc now produces about 500,000 lbs. / a week of quality beef products which are sold at retailers and wholesalers all over the country as well as the Caribbean, Far East and the Middle East.