Cole Ward - The Gourmet Butcher

I’ve been working with meat since I was fourteen. I started in my godfather’s meat market for 24 cents an hour, stuffing sausage.

Since then, I’ve done just about everything meat related… running meat departments in tiny country stores and huge supermarkets, learning how to prepare and present meat, developing recipes, becoming a master sausage maker, inventing new marinades and ultimately, becoming a gourmet butcher.

I’ve worked everywhere. In Los Angeles I did the meat props for CBS Studios. My customers included Billy Crystal, Raymond Burr, Glenn Ford… all the big actors of the time. They wanted quality.

People buy meat with their eyes, but they need to be more cautious. Where did that meat come from? You think it’s healthy because the label says “natural”, but the fact is that the government has lowered standards on product terminologies so that corporate America can cash in. I believe in knowing your food’s provenance… keeping it local, knowing who raised that animal and making sure it was treated well. You can always taste the difference.

I love what I do, and I love teaching others about good meat. That’s what this blog is all about. I want to share my passion with all those other meat lovers out there.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a boogie-woogie accordion player, I’m your man.