Author Description

Over the course of three different centuries, A. Rensch & Company was a commercial fixture in downtown Toledo. Swiss cheese was the root from which sprang an emporium that offered the delicacies of the world: French pâté, German mustards, Norwegian sardines, Swiss chocolates, Italian salami, Asian oyster sauce, Milwaukee rye, New York cheddar, and thousands of other delicacies. From 1882 until 2015, area residents and businesses could savor imported foods from across the globe with a visit to A. Rensch & Company. This book reveals the fascinating story of this unique company from its founding and formative years, through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and World War II, the “cocktail years” of the 1950s and ’60s, and into the new millennium. For 134 years, A. Rensch & Company served the regional community, leaving a legacy as one of the area’s oldest commercial establishments, whose history is shared here for the first time.