The first time I walked into this business was May 3, 2020. I asked if I could get a porterhouse steak, two inches thick; I didn’t see one in the case in front of me, so I assumed the answer was no. The clerk told me that he’d go look in the back. 

I imagined him walking out with a prewrapped steak—so imagine my surprise when he walked out with a quarter of a whole cow on his shoulder! Turns out he was an apprentice, so he asked the manager, Caleb, to teach him how to cut a porterhouse. I watched the whole thing and got a lesson on cow butchery myself by just standing there—I was sold. 

The Power of Quality Meat ​

The Local Butcher Shop is now my favorite butcher to visit; they know me by name, as well as all of my kids’ names. This place is awesome in both the wide variety of meats they have on offer and the quality of the meats themselves. Their revolving menu of sausages, pâtés, and lunchmeats are all incredibly delicious; I have a standing order for six pounds of kimchi sausages when they make them in summer! I could never say enough about this place. 

I feel very strongly that the way my meat is raised is of the utmost importance. Not only for the quality of life for the animal itself, whose life I do not take for granted, but for the quality of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that I ingest, and that my children ingest.  

Maybe it’s a little TMI, but I’m prediabetic with high blood pressure, meaning that I need an anti-inflammatory diet that’s meat-based with low carbs. Meat is my main dietary intake, and I’m more than willing to spend the majority of my grocery budget on quality fare—which I find each time I visit here.

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Beefy Business Acumen ​

The Local Butcher Shop’s meat is premium in every way, from how it’s raised to how it’s cared for after it’s been butchered. It’s clear that the relationships they build with their farmer partners are strong, especially since the shop itself is employee owned and run. What I take from that is that they take so much pride in their work, creating an environment where people get their goods exactly how they like them. 

One example of this that I recall is from a previous visit to the shop: I walked in and I saw an employee wrapping 100 or more individual chicken necks. I asked him what he was doing that for, and he replied, “We have a woman that comes in once a month for a hundred chicken necks for her cat.”  

I hope that they remain my butcher all my life. I’m immensely grateful for the culture they cultivate; for the good they do for the community in supporting local, ethical farms in my neighborhood; and for the care with which they do what they do.  

Visit them today and tell them Gabriel sent you. You’ll never beat a local butcher who puts care into every cut of meat they offer. 

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