Seattle chefs take DIY approach to butchery

[eridani]

http://crosscut.com/2012/10/09/food/110890/seattle-chefs-take-diy-approach-butchery/

The goat fabrication and charcuterie demonstration was one of the most popular workshops at this year’s Chefs Collaborative National Summit. The summit, an annual meeting of chefs dedicated to practicing and teaching sustainable food practices, was held in Seattle last week. On Monday, visiting chefs looked on at the Seattle Culinary Academy as local butcher Russell Flint of Rainshadow Meats fabricated a goat, while Bruce Aidells, writer of the Complete Meat Cookbook, contributed his knowledge on ways to use each cut. The pair's knowledge and experience played naturally off each other, encouraging other chefs to use whole animals in restaurant kitchens.

The message is just a part of Chefs Collaborative’s greater goal: To foster, with the help of chefs and the greater food community, a sustainable food supply and healthier local economies. Perhaps thanks to Chefs Collaborative and like-minded organizations, many restaurants across the nation have transitioned their menus to feature exclusively grass-fed meats, which are believed to be humanely and naturally raised, healthier, and of better quality. The use of more costly grass-fed meats though is soon followed by the need to stretch quality meats in order to make keeping these meats on the menu an economically viable option for restaurants.