With a variety of exotic items like alligator and wild boar along with more traditional meat and seafood items, the new Wild Fork shop in Aurora aims to offer a variety of options for carnivores and fish eaters alike.
The Aurora Wild Fork meat and seafood market at 936 S. Route 59 opened in May and is the company’s 12th location in Illinois, with a total of nearly 100 stores in the U.S. as well as locations in Canada.
Wild Fork is known for its wide variety of frozen meats, seafood and specialty items, Josiah Correll, team leader at the Aurora location, said.
He said early response to the new outlet has been better than expected.
“We carry the usual pork, beef, lamb and poultry but also have bison, elk, venison, duck, wild boar, ostrich and alligator,” Correll said. “As far as coming to Aurora, this is in an up-and-coming neighborhood, and is in a position to serve a lot of people. So far, foot traffic has been very positive and we have exceeded our expectations as far as sales are concerned.”
Correll said the opening of the shop in late spring dovetailed nicely with the start of the barbecue season, and also pointed to the more unusual items that can be purchased at the location.
“I think that people love it. They love that they can come here and try something different,” he said. “It’s something new and they explore a little bit. We try to make it accessible. We’re not going to just have the go-to staples like regular ground beef or burgers, but something different if you want to dip your toes in the waters of making a little alligator tenderloin or elk or whatever.”
While the staples from hot dogs and sausages to steaks and chops remain the best sellers, Correll said the specialty meat items “are selling much better than you’d think.”
“People every day come in say, ‘Tell me about the kangaroo or the ostrich,’ absolutely. They want to know how to cook it, what does it taste like, what can I expect, what is a good way to prepare it,” he said. “For me, the best way to prepare something is to keep it as simple as possible to really get the flavor.”
The store receives two pallets of products three times a week equal to a couple thousand pounds in total.
Correll said there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee for those who try one of the store’s more exotic products and don’t like it.
“If you didn’t like something, we’ll refund your money. We stand by our products,” he said.
Products are flash frozen as soon as possible after being processed, he said. No butchering is offered at the store and items all come already packaged. Most of the beef comes from Nebraska and Colorado “as well as some access to Brazilian and Argentinian beef and wagyu from Japan and Australia.”
“We want this to be your go-to spot for meat and seafood. We want to be your new modern-day butcher,” Correll said.
Allen Jorzak of Streamwood said he heard about Wild Fork thanks to a friend in Florida.
“He lives in Florida and does a lot of barbecue and has been doing some promotional stuff for Wild Fork down in Florida on TV,” Jorzak said while shopping at the Aurora location recently. “I asked my wife about this and we thought we should check it out. One of the main things we came down for was a triple-blend burger we’ve had before elsewhere and liked.”
Jorzak’s wife Fran said she and her husband “always shop together” adding that she “likes to make everything.”
“The prices here look good,” she said. “I’m checking everything including where it’s sourced from.”
Bryan Witte of Naperville was recently in for his first visit to the shop.
“My wife spoke to someone who told her this is the best-quality meat you can buy,” he said. “I’m a home cook and I cook every meat and every meal. I’m looking for a wide variety of items and want to check out their scallops and maybe sushi-grade salmon.”
Robin Gaffney of Naperville likewise said it was her first visit and that a friend, who is a former chef, recommended the store.
“He just loves it and anytime he has a recommendation I have to try it out,” she said while holding a box of oysters Rockefeller. “It’s so organized and easy to find things and I like different meats from different parts of the world.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
