“He’s a fully trained butcher with years of hands-on butchering and charcuterie work,” Lambert says of his new hire. “As one of the best butchers in town, he’ll help us get better.”
Delagrange’s experience with old-school butchering methods meshes seamlessly with Ohio City Provisions’ practice, which involves bringing in whole animals from nearby farms, including its own in Amish Country.
“It’s easy to cut ribeyes and T-bones and pork chops, but how do your merchandise the rest of the animal and make it look presentable enough for people to spend money on cuts they might not be used to,” Lambert says, adding that attention to “alternative cuts” and value-added products like charcuterie are just as vital.
Having another pair of skilled hands will take some pressure off Lambert and Clatterbuck, who have been working around the clock since opening day to complete all necessary tasks.
“Sometimes it’s a bit of a struggle for Trevor and me to be the only two people that cut meat here – balancing everything else we have to do here is a full-time job in itself,” Lambert notes. “The biggest thing for me is maintaining a nice, beautifully stocked and presented butcher case everyday.”
Lambert can now dedicate more time and attention to charcuterie as well as a new lineup of prepared foods, which is something he’s been wanting to offer but could’t because of time constraints.
“It allows me to focus more on charcuterie and ready-to-go meals that people can pickup and reheat easily at their house, which works out really well, I feel, for the local community here in Ohio City.”
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2017.
I’ve worked with Vinnie before. He’s good people.