Chase's Chop Shop

Established in 2010.

Paper: Fresno Bee, The (CA) Title: Old shop, new start Date: January 26, 2011 After more than 60 years, Gus’ Meat Locker in Madera has a new name and is coming full circle — thanks to a young couple with a passion for artisan meats. Step up to the meat counter, and you’ll see new items such as Calabrese and Sicilian sausage. Head to the deli, and you’ll notice a greater variety of sandwiches, such as sliced turkey and a housemade avocado spread on focaccia bread from Max’s Bakery in Fresno. And a peek around the corner may reveal a group of older butchers cutting and wrapping meat. Old-timers will recognize them as local meat experts and former rivals: There’s 69-year-old Clyde Polston, who owned the old Clyde’s Meat Service & Lockers in Chowchilla; 61-year-old Bill McCann of Willie’s Country Meats in Le Grand; 68-year-old Jim Hardesty, former owner of Madera Quality Meats; and 70-year-old Don Sambueso, a former owner of Gus’. “I call them my little brat pack,” says Melissa Chase,