Sanford Herskovitz

Sanford Herskovitz founded Mister Brisket in 1974. Frustrated with the lack of quality meat products available in northeast Ohio, he began to visit local wholesale operations while searching for higher caliber products. He learned meat cutting basics during this time and began to process orders for friends and neighbors who had enjoyed his products while dining at his home. He began making residential deliveries and the quality of his meats led to a rapid rise in demand for his services both from retail customers and restaurants. Eventually, Sanford rented out a space at 2156 S. Taylor Rd where the business has been located ever since.

Prior to the creation of Mister Brisket, there was not a single outlet in northeast Ohio selling quality meat products nor were they featured on any restaurant menu. He was the first person in the region to offer USDA Prime steaks, Lamb Chops and Veal Chops as well as truly farm raised poultry to people in their homes. Under his guidance, Mister Brisket became synonymous with quality, a legacy that continues through the present. Sanford and his wife, Frances, have been married since 1974. They have traveled extensively throughout the world.

Hank Kornblut

Hank Kornblut has been working at Mister Brisket since the fall of 1985 when he began working for his stepfather, Sanford Herskovitz, on a regular basis. His tenure has been marked by growth and innovation in an effort to keep up with rapid societal changes. During the 1980s, he pioneered Mister Brisket’s use of post cards to promote holiday sales and also created a quarterly paper, The Brisket Times, which used humor and timely information to pique customer interest in the business. Hank noticed the trend towards supermarkets selling prepared foods and ushered Mister Brisket into this era through the creating of our now ubiquitous pans of roasted and BBQ brisket.  He also oversaw the addition of deli sandwiches and a counter in 2006 in order to make Mister Brisket a destination. Mister Brisket’s expansion into the adjacent space in 2018 and the creation of a kitchen and dining area (now our storefront) were all projects he devised and oversaw. Perhaps most notably, Hank singlehandedly created a marketplace for Mister Brisket products across the country. Out of town shipments now account for roughly 25% of the company’s sales. Hank’s future plans include a bolstering of online sales through a revamping of our website, an increase in video content and an expansion of prepared food offerings.

Hank graduated from the University of Michigan in 1985 with a degree in English literature. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Shaker Heights. They have two children, Hannah and Max.

Aaron Huentelman

Aaron Huentelman graduated from Cincinnati State in 2012 with a degree in restaurant management. He has worked in numerous kitchens over the years, and has also managed several restaurants. His passion, however, is meat smoking. He has been a regular in competition for the last ten years, with numerous top ten finishes, including a Grand Championship at the Dayton BBQ Rodeo in 2017. He is the owner of an award winning sauce and rub company – Go Big or Go BBQ – which you can find at Mister Brisket and is our smoked foods specialist, and assists with meat cutting and prepared foods as well. Aaron and his wife, Courtney, currently reside in Eastlake with their twins, Adeline and Aiden.

Tyler Thornton

Tyler Thornton graduated from the restaurant management program at Tri C in 2017. He has a multitude of experience within the the restaurant industry, including Parallax in Tremont where he worked as a sous chef. Currently our head meat cutter, Tyler is taking our prepared food offerings to the next level with fantastic Brisket Chili, chicken soup, roasted beef tenderloin and gourmet sides. He currently resides in Cleveland Heights.

Nate Johnson

Nate Johnson is a graduate of Brush High School, and has worked at Mister Brisket since 2018. He is our delivery specialist, but he also ensures that we offer top quality deli meats  and is an excellent meat cutter. Reliable and possessing a strong work ethic. Nate is also persuing a degree at Cleveland State.