So the big news is....I'm moving!
No, I am not leaving Portland. Tressa and I are moving to a new space! A space that has the potential to fulfill all of the goals we have set for our respective businesses. I am so grateful for the space I have been using for my dinners, but was having problems getting the kitchen certified for retail sales of meat. This new space is much better suited to meet the strict guidelines of both the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and the USDA, so I will FINALLY be able to sell my bacon!!
The space is at 1902 NW 24th in Portland, OR. It is a beautiful, big house that has been converted with 2 kitchens, a wine cellar, dining area, backyard complete with raised beds and more. There's space for dinners and classes, which we'll start having several times a week, and lots of room for us to mold and change the space as our businesses grow. Absolute perfection! We'll be putting lots of work into the space in the next few weeks and I can't wait to announce the first event. This summer promises to be more than busy!
I have received emails from folks who are looking for me at the Portland Farmer's Market without success. Though it was my original goal, I decided back in January not to apply for the market. It just didn't feel like the best fit for me right now. There were many reasons for that choice that I won't get into in this forum, but I wanted to wait until I had a plan B before making that announcement. Now that such a plan has been found, I am happy to say that my bacon will be available for sale in mid-May!
Inspired by a customer's recent request for a great birthday present for her husband, I will be selling my bacon through a sort of bacon subscription, BCN/PDX will become more of a "bacon-of-the-month club", if you will. There will be two cycles going, with bacon available on the first and third Fridays of the month. Folks will be able to buy in for the year, 6 months and one month, with obvious savings the longer the commitment. There will be a choice of 2 monthly flavors reflecting what is available seasonally and custom requests will always be taken. Lamb bacon will also be available in season only, which is Spring and Fall. Many of Oregon's wonderful small farms will be represented. Much of the meat I use comes from farms too small to sell to restaurants or stores, so it will truly be a unique experience every time. More information will available in the coming weeks as I settle into the new space and hammer out details. Your wait for specialty cured bacon is almost over!
I am also proud to reveal the dates for my yet-to-be-named tour. Here's the basic itinerary for my travels this year. More details will be forthcoming and there's still room for a few more cities. I'd specifically like to include DC or Durham, NC in October and Atlanta,GA, New Orleans, LA or Memphis,TN in August. All of my projects will be making an appearance, so there's a chance to see it all! If you think there's a place for The Ethical Butcher to add, please send an email!
Reservation info and menus will be available just before each private, ticketed event.
June 11th at Magruder Ranch in Mendocino Valley, CA
Heritage Breed Supper Club - a 6-course dinner featuring Lovers Lane Farm Honey and Magruder Ranch pastured vitellino and wild boar/heritage cross
June 18th at Avedano's Holly Park Market in San Francisco, CA
Fish is Fish for Dinner - a sustainable seafood dinner and lecture
June 24th at Queer Arts Festival in San Francisco, CA
Reading at Spot of T
Sept 23rd – Oct 4th at Wheelbarrow Farm in Sunderland,ON
exact dates TBA-
2 days of pork butchery workshops at Wheelbarrow Farm
2 dinners in Toronto, ON and 1 dinner at Wheelbarrow Farm using heritage pork from butchery workshops.
Oct 8th & 9th at Le Pick Up Depanneur in Montreal, QC
Heritage Breed Supper Club and Bacon a Montreal - 2 dinners featuring heritage pork from TBD farm in Quebec.
October 21st & 22nd at Collect Pond in Brooklyn, NY
Heritage Breed Supper Club and Bacon for Brooklyn - 2 dinners using heritage breed meats from Upstate NY farms.
There are still 2 spaces available for the Icelandic Lamb Butchery!! Reservation info in previous post. This is a very special chance to take the sweetest, most delicious lamb home! Dolce Farms lamb isn't available anywhere else until Fall.
Just saw you in City Scoops. Didn't know butchering could be ethical. Isn't that an oxymoron? Just like there is no such thing as humane killing. It's too bad you're not vegetarian anymore. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment-
ReplyDeleteAs I have written and stated many times since starting this blog, I am in no way against vegetarianism. However, it is a dangerous and unfortunate assumption to say that meat is inherently unethical and immoral. Not only does that tactic alienate and demonize many many people, but it leaves the meat industry at large to go unchecked. Meat and fish must be included in the discussion of sustainability, or the industry will remain destructive. ALL of our food choices matter, animal-based or otherwise. The dichotomy of Good Herbivore vs. Bad Omnivore is outdated. We must begin to think in a much more multi-dimensional and constructive way about these things.
By supporting small farmers who produce and raise healthy animals, we take money and power away from the large companies that profit from the inhumane treatment of their livestock.
Whether The Ethical Butcher is an oxymoron is a matter of opinion. The word "ethical" refers to a moral philosophy, in this case it is what guides my practices as a person seeking change in the meat industry.