TASTE
Adam Abramowski opened Adam ’ s Meat Shop in Folsom 11 years after he immigrated to California from Poland .
WORLD BUTCHERS ’ CHALLENGE
The World Butchers ’ Challenge is coming to the United States for the first time this September , highlighting the skills of meat carvers from around the world inside Sacramento ’ s Golden 1 Center . The competition ’ s red , white and blue debut is happening in Sacramento partly because the captains for the U . S . team both hail from the city .
Danny Johnson , co-owner of the 60-year-old Taylor ’ s Market in Sacramento , and Paul Carras , the veteran manager of his meat department , will jointly lead a sixperson team against butchers from 14 other nations . Each contestant will show the judges how they break down front and hind beef quarters , a half of a hog , a whole lamb and five chickens .
“ We ’ re going to be showcasing American-style butchery , both the practicality of it and the beauty of it ,” Carras says .
The U . S . beat out France and Brazil for the honor of hosting this year ’ s challenge . The organizers will hold an apprentice competition on Sept . 2 and then the main event on Sept . 3 . The World Butcher Challenge was first conceived in 2010 as a way of raising awareness of this vital profession and how it fits into the broader culinary landscape .
“ Butchers were , and still are , hardworking and creative . There were , and are , glamour chefs globally , so we sat down and thought what can we do to really showcase the skills and creativity of butchers ,” says event organizer Rod Slater . At the event , he adds , “ the excitement , the drama , the tension ” are evident from the moment the starter ’ s gun fires .
Carras and Johnson were already part of that excitement when they competed in the World Butchers ’ Challenge in Belfast , Northern Ireland , in 2018 . In that go-around , the U . S . team landed in sixth place . There were 12 countries competing . Carras said that he and Johnson are even more motivated now .
“ This one is special to us ,” he stresses . “ I was born and raised in Sacramento . Given that it ’ s the first time it ’ s ever happening on American soil , and it ’ s in my hometown , that has all the meaning in the world .” meat production , Roseville Meat Company ’ s suppliers were small enough , specialized enough and diverse enough that the shop ’ s selections never stopped hitting the chopping blocks .
Though a few of its suppliers were dealing with uncertainty , others — ones who in the past had focused more on restaurants — suddenly had excess meat on their hands because of lockdowns . That meant Roseville Meat could get what it needed . Additionally , since the Henrys were on-site owners , they were able to make fast decisions , which included counteracting the hysteria with per-customer limits on meat .
“ I told the staff , ‘ You be reasonable about it , but don ’ t let people buy 50 pounds of ground beef at a time ,’” Henry explains . “ I knew it was an overwrought situation . People were not thinking rationally .”
Swingle Meat Company and Adam ’ s Meat Shop had similar experiences with their sourcing and product control . Abramowski says that when meat demand suddenly went into overdrive , his highly trained team was experienced enough to kick its sausage production into another gear .
“ We carry a certain brand of meat ” — like Swingle , a smaller producer that wasn ’ t feeding chain stores ’ insatiable demands — “ so we never really ran out ,”
says Abramowski . “ And it was incredible how many sausages we were making .”
Lately , as the nation is hit by inflation and fuel costs for transporting meat soar , the region ’ s butcher shops are using their autonomy and sourcing prowess to try to tamp down sticker shock . Kellerman says Swingle ’ s ongoing commitment to offering stellar products for competitive prices keeps some customers coming from three hours away .
“ I ’ ve got people that come in on a regular basis from Nevada , from Oregon , and a lot are coming from the Bay Area ,” he notes . “ It ’ s about a great product at a fair price . Everything we have here , I ’ ve tried it , and if I don ’ t like it , we don ’ t sell it . That ’ s just how it is .”
Scott Thomas Anderson is a veteran reporter based in California . Anderson balances his hard news focus with cultural writing and travel journalism . He ’ s also the writer and producer of the “ Drinkers With Writing Problems ” podcast .
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38 comstocksmag . com | June 2022