There won’t be any fireworks this year in Oak Park or River Forest, but you can always light up the grill. A new collaboration between two local businesses will have you covered for the star-spangled holiday feast. Beer, burgers and hotdogs are a classic combination just like red, white and blue.
Food Network star and River Forest resident Jeff Mauro and Oak Park’s Beer Shop are partnering this year to offer customers a package of premium meat and a discount on beer for the Fourth of July.
“We didn’t just want to provide food; we wanted to provide the best and we’re lucky that this is happening,” said Beer Shop co-owner Danielle Dengel of the partnership with Mauro, known to television audiences as the “Sandwich King.”
The Mauro Provisions package includes 16 jumbo half-pound wet-aged steak hotdogs and eight half-pound hamburgers made of Certified Angus Beef for $79.99 — that’s 30% off the regular retail price. The Beer Shop, 1026 North Blvd., is serving as the sole pick-up location, so there are no shipping costs.
“We really don’t want people schlepping around to all the big-box stores,” said Dengel.
To further sweeten the deal, Beer Shop is giving a 10% discount off all packaged beer to those who order the package of meats, making it a one-stop shop for Independence Day essentials.
“You need beer and meat on the Fourth,” said Mauro.
Dengel recommends pairing the meats with a lager or pilsner — lighter beers that you can drink while you’re cooking the meat or hanging outside. Her favorites come from Kinslahger Beer Company and Dovetail Brewery, both of which Beer Shop carries.
This is Mauro’s first partnership with the Beer Shop, and he hopes to build on that in the future. A self-proclaimed beer lover, Mauro is a Beer Shop customer himself and praised the shop’s “great vibe,” which “represents the community so well.”
Both Mauro and Dengel have already gotten their July 4th boxes. The Beer Shop celebrates Independence Day ahead of time with a staff barbecue. Dengel told Wednesday Journal she intends to order another box to make the celebration extra special.
Grill masters have until June 29 to preorder, which can be done online through the Mauro Provisions website. Pick up is available July 1 and 2 from 12 p.m. to midnight.
