“Living the dream in America”: Pastor opens his own meat market in McGregor, Texas after working 40 years in meat industry

McGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) - A Central Texas man who worked for others in the meat industry for 40 years has opened his own meat market to a ton of buzz and he says it's a dream come true.

Steven Estrada, Sr., 60, of McGregor, is the owner of Old Fashion Meat Market on Main Street in McGregor.

He opened his doors Friday morning and hasn't had a down moment since as hundreds of happy customers streamed in all day Friday, Saturday and Monday.

"Oh, of course. I am living the dream, I am living the dream here in America, so I thank God for that," Estrada said. "I really do."

Estrada, who grew up in Belton but has lived in McGregor for nearly four decades, has worked in the meat industry since he was 21-year-old but never owned his own store.

He first worked at Triad Foods in Moody in 1988. He then worked in a slaughterhouse in Waco before moving to an old-fashioned meat market in Lacy Lakeview.

He spent most of his career as a smiling face at Brookshire Brothers in McGregor as the meat market manager. He briefly worked at HEB before opening his market.

It's safe to say, Estrada knows meat.

"They said, Julie, a long time ago, you can trust three people in your life," Estrada said. "I know that category might change, but they say to trust your preacher, your doctor and your butcher."

And Estrada falls in two of those categories. When he's not preparing cuts of meat, Estrada is the full-time pastor at Rock of My Salvation Church.

He says his faith and his family helped give him the courage he needed to open his own place.

"I figured if I had that knowledge I could do it," Estrada said. "Your gift, whatever gift you have makes room for you and so it made room for me. This is what dreaming does. It's fantastic. I feel really good."

The Old Fashion Meat Market is a meat lovers' paradise. There's fresh chicken from Bryan, including chicken breasts, seasoned or not, drumsticks, wings, seasoned and marinated, and whole birds.

The market offers pork from bacon to pork chops and pork loins to ribs.

And if you're a beef eater, they've got it all.

"I'm going to have Angus, choice, select, prime and also grass-fed, grain-finished and that's local," Estrada said. "I can say it's through Barnard Beef Company. I'll get mine in four days. Most places and organizations gets theirs in three to five weeks."

Estrada said he'll slice the meat any way you want it from thin to thick and he'll sell from single portions to family sized to bulk.

Estrado owns the market with his wife, Tommie, son, Timothy, and his son's wife, Anaclaudia.

It's truly a family affair beyond ownership.

"My family has been behind me," Estrada said. "My four sons, four daughters-in-laws and nine grandchildren and they're all behind me."

Estrada said he has a passion for serving others and is excited to get to work in his own business.

"Just a dream of mine and I have a passion for it," Estrada said. "I have a very big passion to serve people in any form or fashion, so I put it to work. For the last 20 years, I was thinking 'hey I want to do my own meat market. I want to do what I did for everybody else."

The McGregor Chamber of Commerce will hold a public ribbon cutting for the business Thursday at 10 a.m.

The market will be opened Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Old Fashion Meat Market is located at 201 South Main Street in McGregor.