Nice to MEAT You: Dickson's Farmstand Meats & Char-Broil

I don't want to preach and sound like a food snob (why not?), but if you are reading this blog, then you care about food and what goes into you and your family's body and are probably not hitting Burger King tonight. So let me talk. You can click out at any time, I will still like you.

Over the last few years, I have to come to realize that you are what you eat and MODERATION is the key. (I didn't make those sayings up).

If you eat whole and natural foods, that are minimally processed, you are most likely not going to gain much weight, and you will probably stay healthier than the person who smokes, drinks soda, eats McDonald's and eats processed foods. Especially one who eats excess MEAT.

Forget about watching Food Inc., which I can not bring myself to watch, or I may never eat again, period.

Recently I saw Michael Colameco's Real Food show about a guy who wanted to get away from factory farmed; inhumane treatment of livestock; shitty quality (excuse my French); supermarket bland tasting; and unhealthy meat. He couldn't find what he was looking for, so he became a butcher!

It's a long story, but his idea caught on and now he has farmers in NY State raising pigs, ducks, chickens and cows for his customers.

If you like eating seasonal produce from your farmer's market, then why not eat meat that is local too?

VEGETARIANS: CLOSE YOUR EYES NOW.



He buys the whole carcass and butchers it right in his shop in Chelsea, called Dickson's Farmstand Meats.



They don't waste any of the scraps either. Their philosophy is: Head to tail.

Instead of throwing the fat and scraps away, they make charcuterie from them, like an old fashioned European butcher. Confit, guanciale, pancetta, meatballs, salami, hot dogs, and rillettes, all from the scraps. No waste of the animal that died for our consumption.



The animals roam free and eat a natural diet (no hormones or antibiotics), and the meat just tastes better. Am I preaching? Maybe, but I love the idea and I wish it could be universal.

How much more expensive is this meat to buy? A few dollars more per pound. So I just buy less of it.
Make sense? (Surprisingly, it's only about $3. more per lb. than my grocery store).

We have made the effort to change our food buying habits this past year and it's been paying off.
We eat local vegetables when we can, (from our garden or the farmer's market), and try and buy the best that we can afford.



This week I had the opportunity to meet Top Chef Kevin Gillespie at the James Beard House hosted by Char-Broil. He was chillin' and grillin' and using their new infrared technology to cook up some gorgeous meats.



I ran right over to Dickson's and stocked up for my winter hibernation. I met Sarah and Charlie and they showed me around. The shop is amazing. It is located inside the Chelsea Food Market in the Meat Packing District, so if you are in town, stop in and say hello.



Dickson’s Farmstand, Inc.
Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 242-2630

Eat well!


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