Where Does Santa Cruz Market Get Its Beef ?
A couple months ago, a friend raved to me about eating some wonderful grass-feed beef that she had cooked after buying it at Staff of life'south new Farm to Fork meat department.
It took me a while to get there myself, as I'd received a Christmas gift subscription to local butcher El Salchichero'due south CSM (monthly meat box) and was well-stocked in the meat department for three months. Concluding month, I finally tried Staff's expanded meat products, and was very impressed so I decided to detect out more than.
Santa Cruz native Anthony Blanco purchased the Natural Meats and Seafood department at Breadstuff last November, and has been enthusiastically operating it ever since.
Many don't realize that this is a separate business that start opened in 1997, and is run independently from the remainder of the store.
Anthony has more than than two decades of experience as a local butcher, including jobs at Freedom Meat Lockers, Palatial Foods, The Fish Lady, and New Foliage Community Markets. For many years he has cooked and prepared nutrient for his family—which includes his wife Shana, fourteen-year-old son Shane, and 6-yr-old girl Hazel. He fifty-fifty prepares nutrient for the family unit domestic dog, Grace, who appreciates the cooked ground meat/rice/puréed organic pumpkin combination.
Anthony has brought lots of improvements to the department—including greatly expanding their product line. Recently, I had the chance to catch up with him.
Q. Why did you buy Staff of life Natural Meats and Seafood?
I saw an opportunity to serve my customs past nourishing families and creating jobs for local people that want to learn virtually the fine art of real abattoir. All by doing what I love! People ask me, "Are you tired? Sounds like a lot of hard work…" But the truth is, I oasis't worked a day since I started here at Staff! I savour information technology and then much.
Q. What are one or ii of your favorite parts about running this business?
The customers and employees. Kickoff, I become to prove customers including moms and dads how to save time making a yummy dinner on a busy schedule, crusade I have first-manus noesis in everyday family operations.
Then there are my employees: I absolutely honey information technology when I can requite promotions to our staff. Information technology's a process of paying it forwards–knowing that they experience appreciated and volition have good news to tell their family unit when they get habitation.
Q. How has your by experience led you to beingness prepare for this position?
I have been a butcher in Santa Cruz for the last 25 years. I was gear up for this position early on in my career when I realized that what I'm handing over the counter to customers is not just a slice of meat. It's someone's dinner, it could exist someone's favorite meal , it's someone'south fuel for life and I don't take that lightly . I'm a people person and I care for all my vendors the way I would like to be treated. Exist overnice! It'southward easy!
Q. Can you lot tell me more details most the meat yous offering?
Nosotros strive for complete transparency in all our meat products. That's why we make sausage, cold cuts and sauces in-house so yous know what they are made of. Nosotros feature local pork from Chico.
In March, I had the pleasure of taking my crew to meet my friend Loren Poncia, the owner of Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales. This is how I can bring transparency to the people that want to buy local meats. My crew and I can personally verify that the meats we sell are grass-fed and grass-finished, and have all of the standard "no'southward:" no antibiotics, no hormones etc. In April, we visited the ranch where "Mary's organic chickens" come up from.
We receive most of our meats "Whole Carcass.'' This allows u.s. to cut downwards on packaging materials that may go to the landfill, and also enables us to create custom cuts while keeping the art of butchery live (to run across examples of butchery, and acquire more almost the department including its Subcontract-to-Fork philosophy, visit the Staff of life Natural Meats Facebook page.
Author's Note –
Ane day when I was shopping at Breadstuff, an employee came and asked if I needed help. It turned out to be Jodi, ane of Anthony's managers. I told her I wanted something piece of cake-nevertheless-succulent for dinner, and she gave me a comprehensive tour of the department's tempting house-fabricated offerings. These included craven enchiladas, Mediterranean-blimp chicken breast, and common cold cuts sliced to order—customers tin buy any amount of the latter, as small as a quarter-pound, and these include prosciutto and organic house-roasted turkey breast and roast beef.
A sign on the butcher counter explains that because the Staff of Life Natural Meats Department butchers their meat products in-house, each calendar week they relieve an average of 107 plastic bags from going to the recycling heart or landfill, and multitudes of packing scraps and other plastic materials that are deemed non-recyclable. Customers are encouraged to bring in their ain containers to receive a 50-cent discount per item at the meat counter.
Also of notation: Stemple Creek Ranch has chosen Staff as their exclusive meat vendor for Santa Cruz, so no other grocer in boondocks can offering these meats.
Q. What are some products yous have that can help busy people save time when preparing a meal?
Rotisserie chickens can be used to brand a multifariousness of quick healthy meals similar Asian chicken salads, enchiladas, tacos, casseroles and a whole bunch more! We offer house-fabricated entrees like chicken cordon bleu, kabobs, Thai back-scratch pork cutlets, take-n-bake (gluten-free) turkey meatloaf, Tandoori chicken, Moroccan lamb meat assurance with currants, just to proper noun a few—and a plethora of easy to melt, marinated items in our take hold of-n-go case.
We are dedicated to fast and friendly service. Sausages are as well easy — nosotros make 25 kinds in-house! We can walk you through a recipe for Shepherd'southward pie or slow roast chuck roast. F.Y.I., we are the only butcher store in Santa Cruz that can offer a grass fed, grass finished 7-bone chuck roast, and this is because we cutting from whole carcasses.
Q. How nigh a item or two well-nigh your seafood?
Nosotros have a let from the Department of Fish and Wild animals that allows united states of america to purchase direct from anyone with a commercial fishing license. This helps u.s.a. support locals and also guarantees the very freshest catch. We offer many different kinds of fish including whole ones.
Fresh fish, caught just hours before this photo was taken.
Author'south Annotation –
I browsed the department'southward Facebook folio and noticed they pride themselves on "having the freshest fish with the nearly variety in town." I was delighted to meet photos of seafood such equally wild steelhead, halibut, and house-fabricated wild salmon sausage. I decided to telephone call seafood manager Elmer Flores to discover out a piffling more than, and he was very excited to share his perspective. He emphasized they carry a lot of whole fish, so that people tin can see a product from start to cease, and besides mentioned the diverse selections.
"I want to offer people a swell variety of seafood including things you lot wouldn't discover anywhere else," he said. "Nosotros want to open up people'southward eyes to different types of fish." Then in that location are options if you want to try something new, and if you want something more traditional, they deport that likewise (for example: tilapia, snapper, and catfish).
The bottom line: it's just been a few months since Anthony took over the Bread Natural Meats and Seafood department, and it's already clear that he and his staff are committed to providing elevation products and service to their customers.
Even Anthony's son Shane pitches in; he has a piece of work permit and enjoys working at the store on occasion. I'one thousand excited to see what the future holds every bit the Blanco family continues bringing the freshest meat and seafood to our customs.
Staff of Life Natural Meats and Seafood
1266 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 423 8632
Hours: 8am to 9pm Mon-Sat. 9am-9pm Sunday
Source: https://santacruzlife.com/staff-life-natural-meats-not-average-grocery-store-butcher/
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