a  f a r m e r ' s  s o n
Ingvar Wikstrom grew up on a farm in Ingelstorp Sweden. It was here he learned the ethics of hard work and how to reap and sow. He learned how to cook from his mother and how to prepare foods from scratch, their natural state. As a young man, Ingvar was an exchange student in the the United States and went to a Swedish College called Augustana in Rock Island Illinois. While in school he also worked for a private social club. It is here he first became interested in catering and learned the in's and outs of the food service business....

t h e  a m e r i c a n  d r e a m
He returned to Sweden and worked at Löderup's Strand Bad Gamla Hotel and Skogstorp. He then traveled back to the United states several times after that. But it was in 1959 that Ingvar took his new wife and decided to move to the United States to try to make money and accomplish the American dream. He had met several Swedish people in Chicago, Illinois on his previous trips to America, so it was there he decided to go and make a living. Ingvar was interested in all the Swedish people who had come to the United States and heard of a man who was Swedish and owned a little delicatessen in the city of Chicago. Ingvar went to this deli and met Mr. Andy Carlson, the owner. They became acquainted and Ingvar spent evenings working with him (for free), doing dishes and learning the American style of cooking. Andy felt that Ingvar was suitable for the business and gave him a proposition to buy the store in 1960, and the exciting part about the timing was that it was the big American Holiday of the 4th of July.

m r s .  h a n s o n
A few days later a lady walked in and said, "I heard that a young Swedish family has bought this store. My name is Mrs. Hanson and I used to work in Catering. Perhaps I could be of help. I made nice Hoers D'Oeuvres for Edmundson and Bach, a Catering firm." "Hoers D'Oeuvres What's that?" Ingvar asked. She replied, "I'll show you tomorrow." The next day she brought a tray of beautiful Hoers D'Oeuvres, put it in the window and that is how their catering business began. After 15 years of owning and running Carlson's Deli on Touhy Ave., they felt they had outgrown the store, and also realized that Mrs. Hanson had made approximately 11,000 Hoers D'Oeuvres each year, thus it was time to move to a bigger location. They found Schott's Deli in Andersonville, a traditional old style Swedish American deli, which was started by a Swedish family in 1921. (Andersonville, was the home of many Swedes who had immigrated to the United states in the early 1900's.) Schott's however had gone bankrupt and the building had been sitting empty for 6 months. In August of 1975 Ingvar and his wife Alfhild bought Schott's Deli and started fixing up a new Swedish store ... that would become Wikström's Delicatessen--the Swedish American Deli. Wikström's opened on Thanksgiving, the big American family holiday.

s e r v e  a n d  t h e y  s h a l l  c o m e
Ingvar and Alfhild were worried about attracting customers though. So, Ingvar came up with the idea of serving free coffee and "finger sandwiches". They started this and served free sandwiches and coffee for 3 months. Word spread and by their first Christmas, they were already a big success. Today 23 years later, that coffee pot continues to brew inside Wikström's and people continue to come in to warm up with a "free" cup. At Christmas--Traditional Swedish Glogg is served free. Wikström's is now an institution in the Scandinavian Community. 500-1000 Swedish tourists come to visit Wikström's every year. Customers also come from all over the United States.

g o i n g  n a t i o n al
The knowledge of the many other people who visited from all over, prompted Ingvar to begin a Mail Order Business of Swedish Foods and gifts. He currently ships to every state and Canada. They have even shipped to South America. Wikström's homemade foods are recipes passed down from his mother and his own creations. Ingvar is very well known for his Swedish Meatballs, his Homemade Herring-which in now trademarked as Herr Ing's Herring. He is also well known for his inlagd gurka and inlagd betor. Wikström's is the largest Swedish Delicatessen in the United States. He has all varieties of Swedish food. Christmas is the busy time with a customer wait of 2 - 3 hours. During the Christmas Season they make 3,000 to 4,000 of their hand rolled homemade famous Swedish Meatballs. It is not unusual for people to fly in from all over the states to pick up food. The catering company has also grown acquiring 2 other catering companies. Wikström has catered food to King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia while they were in Chicago. Queen Silvia has even come into the Delicatessen and bought a jar of Herring. Among other people Wikström has catered includes, Björn Borg, President Carter, Hubert Humphrey and Ingvar Carlsson-- Sweden's Prime minister. He has also participated in the U.S.'s largest Scandinavian Festival--Called Host Fest in Minot North Dakota.---Here Wikström's served all staple Swedish items, Fleshkorv, meatballs, Limpa and cheese and Swedish Pancakes. Bill Cosby loved Ingvar's Swedish Pancakes and Liza Minelli loved his meatballs.

a n  i n s t i t u t i o n
After over 38 years in the business and over 23 years in Andersonville, Wikström's is well known to not only the Scandinavian Community, but a definite cross population of customers. The Catering Company claims clients as varied as the Military, Schools, Universities, Churches, Major Corporations, not to mention the many Weddings, Christenings, Graduations and Anniversaries that are planned each year, and they now serve a Multi Ethnic Menu - but are still known for their outstanding Swedish Smorgasbord and other Swedish Deli items.

Feel free to contact us at:
Wikstrom's Gourmet Foods, Inc.
5247 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640
Ph. 773-275-6100
Fax 773-275-7324