Person:Ercole Gabiati (1)

About Ernie Gabiati

"Ernie" Gabiati, born Ercole "Hercules" Gabiati, was born 20 June 1921 in San Francisco County, California, the son of sausage-maker Louis Gabiati (b. 1890) and his wife Albina Belli (b. abt. 1900), both Italian immigrants that came to America just after the turn of the century. Ernie grew up alongside many Italian families in San Francisco and attended San Francisco Middle School and Galileo High School. Ernie's father wanted him to take over the family sausage business [then named Roma Sausage], but at that time, Ernie initially had other plans. After re-considering his father's desire for his son to take over the business when he was in the process of selling his sausage company, Ernie decided to take over the business in 1944, but re-named it Gallo Salame, Inc..

Ernie built Gallo Salame into one of the premier italian sausage manufacturers in the country, and its products were carried in most major supermarkets and local grocery stores and delis. Gallo Salame was later acquired in 1979 by Consolidated Foods, now known as Hillshire Brands. Ernie stayed on as a consultant for five years after the company was sold.

Ernie Gabiati passed away on 12 October 2005 in San Refael, Marin County, California. His contributions to the deli industry are many and will not be forgotten.

1.   San Francisco Chronicle (California). Obituaries from the San Francisco Chronicle, 1975-1982. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980-1983)
   16 October 2005.

   Ernie Gabiati -- original owner of Gallo Salame
   
   Marsha Ginsburg, Chronicle Staff Writer
   Published 4:00 am, Sunday, October 16, 2005
   
   Ernie Gabiati, the young man who refused to take over his father's San Francisco sausage business but changed his mind and built a national salami empire, died peacefully this week at home in San Rafael. He was 84. Mr. Gabiati died of complications from pneumonia, for which he had recently been hospitalized, said his daughter, Gail Gabiati.
   
   Born Ercole "Hercules" Gabiati on June 20, 1921, young "Herc" grew up alongside many Italian families who lived in the North Beach neighborhood of Grant Avenue and Filbert Street. He attended San Francisco Middle School and Galileo High School.
   
   His father, Louis, operated Roma Sausage at Pacific and Montgomery streets and wanted his only son to take over the business, but Mr. Gabiati had other plans.
   
   "After school, when other kids did Little League, he was compelled to help work in his father's deli. Maybe he was fed up with it," said Mr. Gabiati's former wife, Minnie Campos.
   
   In his early 20s, Mr. Gabiati, who changed his name to Ernie, went to work as a shipyard welder, a much-needed skill that kept him at home instead of being drafted into World War II, and spent stints at other sausage establishments.
   
   Around that time, a pretty woman in a flat half a block away caught his eye. When he saw Minnie Luppi in the window, he told his longtime buddy Corti that he would like to take her out. His friend Corti eventually married Luppi's sister, Mary, and a short time later, in 1946, Mr. Gabiati married Luppi.
   
   That same year, Mr. Gabiati thought again about taking over his father's business.
   Fortunately for Mr. Gabiati, though his father had closed Roma Sausage, he had not yet leased the factory or sold the equipment. Mr. Gabiati took over the plant but started an entirely new enterprise. In creating Gallo Salame Inc., Mr. Gabiati took a modern approach to the business, which had a staggering number of local competitors. Instead of selling huge salamis from a delicatessen, he produced, sliced and then innovatively vacuum-packed the salami at the factory so it could be sold in stores. Safeway picked it up first, and then stores carried it nationwide.
   
   "He worked seven days a week," said his brother-in-law, employee and friend, Joe Corti. "He always took a risk, and it turned out for the best. He was a hell of a guy to work for."
   
   And in all the years he ran his business, Mr. Gabiati never tired of the dried meat, giving it away to his children's teachers and using it in recipes at home.
   
   "My friends would have salami sandwiches while I was growing up and I could say, 'My dad made that for you.' I loved growing up with the Gallo Salame man," said Gail Gabiati, now a San Francisco lawyer.
   
   Not that he was easy. Dapper, charming and impeccably dressed, Mr. Gabiati had high standards for himself, his children and his employees.
   
   "We used to kid that he would come over to us, and no matter what we did, he would find some little thing that was wrong," said Corti. "He always told us he looked for things that were wrong, not right." But Corti, who started working for Mr. Gabiati at age 23, said employees adored the fair-minded and well-paying boss. As a result, "nobody ever left," Corti said. "They either retired or died."
   
   In 1979, Mr. Gabiati sold Gallo Salame to Consolidated Foods Inc. He stayed on for five years as a consultant. Eventually, the company made the flavor more bland to appeal to more customers, said Gail Gabiati. "They changed the recipe. He hated it," said Gabiati.
   
   After 23 years of marriage, the Gabiatis had an amicable divorce, and many years later, in 1985, Mr. Gabiati married Susan Kettel.
   
   Although he was a hard worker, he never lost sight of the good life, which he wanted for himself and others. He had a collection of antique cars and a 72-foot boat, the Papagallo, on which he and Kettel were married and took several voyages. He was a member of the St. Francis Yacht Club. He also got his pilot's license and enjoyed flights in a small Cessna. He was a master in the Masonic organization and a member of the Shriners.
   
   In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Gabiati is survived by his son, Ernie Louis, who owns Aidells Sausage, of Lafayette; stepson Morton Kettel of San Francisco; stepdaughter Pernille Gertridge of Palo Alto; and eight grandchildren.
   
   A funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Green Street Mortuary, 649 Green St., San Francisco. A private burial will be held Wednesday.
   
   http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ernie-Gabiati-original-owner-of-Gallo-Salame-2564784.php

2.   California, United States. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. (Sacramento, CA, USA: California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.).

   California Birth Index, 1905-1995
   Name: Ercole Gabiati
   Birth Date: 20 Jun 1921
   Gender: Male
   Mother's Maiden Name: Belli
   Birth County: San Francisco

3.   Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
   Name: E. Gabiati
   Last Residence: 94901 San Rafael, Marin, California
   BORN: 20 Jun 1921
   Died: 12 Oct 2005
   State (Year) SSN issued: California (Before 1951)