As conscientious diners, we’d all like to think that the restaurants we eat at only buy their ingredients straight from the farmer, fisherman, rancher or forager. But that’s just not realistic. People sometimes look down on the Syscos, US Foods, etc., of the world, but distributors are an important and necessary part of the chain that gets food safely and in season to you local store or restaurant. And I’ve always been a little jealous when I see the Restaurant Depot membership card hanging off the keychain of some of my chef friends, because I’d love to have access to all that great protein and produce.
Of course, restaurants buy in bulk sizes that can make the "economy size" packaging at Sam’s or Costco look like “Fun-Size” Halloween candy bars. So that’s a big reason why I was intrigued to find out that a local food distributor had started up an online retail portal that allows us civilians to have access to the same great products as wholesale purchasers.
The new venture is called ButcheryFresh.com and is tye project of Creation Gardens, a Louisville-based distributor of food and restaurant products serving Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. They recently purchased a custom butcher operation and have decided to extend those services to retail consumers through the new ButcheryFresh program.
The online market doesn’t hope to compete with the big-box stores; you can always find a cheaper steak somewhere else. The USDA Prime steaks are shipped fresh, never frozen, overnight from their butcher operation in Louisville. For orders over $100, shipping is free, so consider what your time and gas is worth when you’re planning a special meal as you compare pricing.
Their steaks come from reputable suppliers like Creekstone Farms and Black Hawk Farms, and pork products are available from Berkwood Farms Berkshire, Benton’s Country Ham and Broadbent’s Country Sausage. Cuts range from 8-ounce center cut filets to monstrous 40-ounce Porterhouses. A 2-lb. Tomahawk Ribeye is always impressive on your table. I’ve sampled some of the Frenched bone-in pork chops and can attest that they are fantastic!
In addition to the large cuts, you can also purchase gourmet burgers or specialty poultry products like duck breasts or foie gras. A selection of novel pantry items from suppliers like Bourbon Barrel Products and Weisenberger Mills are also available to get your ticket above the century mark for free shipping.
With more than 6,500 items to pick from at Creation Gardens, ButcheryFresh aims to keep adding to their offering, with an immediate plan to add some competition-quality cuts like brisket, ribs and pork butts for anyone who wants to cook like a champion. Lamb is also on the near-term horizon for the online catalog.
As you plan your holiday giving, an easy solution might be a gift card from ButcheryFresh, available in $50 increments. If you need more information about how the program works, you can check out their FAQ here. For a special inducement to give them a try, ButcheryFresh has set up a discount code just for Bites readers. Enter the code Bites15 at checkout for $15 off your entire order today through Dec.12. Remember, you’ll also get free shipping on any order over $100. If you need to buy one more pork chop to get you over that threshold, I offer my services as the consumer of said pork chop. Holler atcha boy!
