Tina’s Gourmet Sausage House caters to European tastes

There's more to Tina's Gourmet Sausage House than sausage.

Patrons also can find fresh smoked fish, a host of salads, smoked ribs, cheeses, desserts and specialty imported groceries at the 2101 S. Decatur Blvd. shop.

But house-made sausages crafted by owner Michael Ray are the stars. Cases and racks packed with a variety of sausages from dry to fresh fill the far end of the store.

Ray, a lifelong chef, moved to Las Vegas and started Tina's a few months ago after running a sausage business in Los Angeles for more than 30 years.

"We supplied a lot of stores and supermarkets, such as Whole Foods Market," said store manager Zoya Medov, who is Ray's niece.

Medov said her uncle can make just about any kind of sausage a customer can dream up, from Romanian and Hungarian to Polish and German and beyond.

"We used to supply restaurants with custom sausage — wild game sausage like wild boar, alligator, kangaroo," Medov said. "He can make … just name it. We had a customer who asked us to make South African sausage. There's no one here who is making it. So they brought us the recipe, and we made the South African sausage for them. And they were so happy because no one else is making it. We'll take orders, too, so if someone wants some customized sausage, we're open to it. He also made seafood sausages, fish sausage, shrimp sausage..."

Ray, who grew up in the Ukraine, considered retiring when he and his wife, Valentina, moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, but "it's no good," he said. "You know why; my father is 94, and he's still alive, and when he was 85, he called me and said, 'Mike, I'm bored. I want to work. Find me some work.' So I can see myself the same way, if I live that long."

Ray named the business Tina's after his wife to appease her as he kept working instead of slowing down.

"She didn't buy that," he said with a grin.

In addition to Ray's talents, the store stocks dishes made by an Italian chef with more than 30 years of experience and another chef from the Ukraine with 25 years in the culinary business.

Medov said the business also stocks specialty grocery items shipped in from all over Europe.

"All these products; it's the best of each country — French, Greek, German," she said.

Ray said he doesn't think of the Trader Joe's next door as competition because his is more of a "boutique" store.

"I like these guys next door," he said. "They're my favorite people at Trader Joe's. They're all nice, and they have good personalities."

Hospitality and helping people find a taste of home is part of Tina's mission, Medov said.

"The other day, a Hungarian guy came in and said, 'Oh, my god, I'm going to cry' because he saw the Hungarian sausages, and there's no place you can get them," she said.

"They love it so much, and I love it, too," she added. "It's such a pleasure to deliver to people good quality, and they appreciate it so much."

Tina's Gourmet Sausage House is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call 702-850-8333.

— To reach View contributing reporter Ginger Meurer, email gmeurer@viewnews.com. Find her on Twitter: @gingermmm.