Welcome to Your Butcher Shop.
Back in 2009 Chris decided to open this place. Let’s let him tell the story…
Growing up, I was always in the kitchen with my parents. I learned from a very young age that food was something that could bring everyone together. Following this passion, I got my first real job at the Redwood Christian Park down the street from my house. I was seventeen, and I would ride my 4-wheeler to work every morning to be a breakfast buffet cook. My first real restaurant job was Scopazzis. That’s where the food bug really bit. That experience solidified that I was destined to be in the food industry.
From there things really started to ramp up. I went to the California Sushi Academy in Hermosa Beach, then attended CCA (California Culinary Academy) in San Francisco. This led to an internship at Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos. I burnt out, and decided to take a break. 4x4 and More in Scotts Valley, wrenching on Jeeps and Toyotas. Of course, food couldn’t leave my mind. It was during this time that I met Justin Severino of Severino's Community Butcher. This is where my love for meats really sparked. I learned basic knowledge of butchery, sausage making, and meat curing. He closed down after a year and I went back to restaurant work.
I was ready to start my own thing. To do my own thing. I was 22. I worked at Gabriella’s Café, then Cellar Door, all the while honing my skills for the restaurants and their menus. One day I was presented with an opportunity. Some empty warehouse space. A slot at the Farmer’s Market. My knowledge of meat. So, I decided to start my own company and test the waters. Things took off quickly, and our warehouse space in the Swift Street Courtyard needed some serious renovation. It was an empty warehouse so there was a lot of work ahead of me.
Nine months, seven days a week, nonstop work. It was my buddies and I who built this place. It’s pretty fucking rad because I literally know where every single pipe, bolt, and wire is and I can fix anything that comes up.
Fast forward to today, here we are.
Opening day was somewhere between a dream and a nightmare. But this is what I wanted. We started with whole animal butchery, breaking down sides of steer and whole pigs, but what I really cared about was cured meats. Charcuterie. Something more to offer. Something to be really proud of.
So we shifted. Only the best, everything made in house, meats you can’t get anywhere else. Local and exceptional. It’s what I believe in and what I hope everyone else believes in.
And we’re still here. Sixteen years later, and going stronger than ever.
At el Salchichero we provide delicious, top quality local meats that connect you to your community through healthy and mindful eating. We are passionate about the local foods we source from sustainable pasture raised animals. With our beautiful hand-cut meats, you’ll always know your food is from a carefully selected farm, with the highest and most humane standards. As your community butcher we artfully carve your meats and take great pride in bringing chef-driven, seasonally inspired recipes to your table.
SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE
We only sell meat we’d eat ourselves and that we feel good about serving you. For this reason, we only use pasture-raised animals from a very select group of local farms. Our ranchers are in sustainable agriculture and treat their animals with the utmost respect. With our partnership, we provide you with the best meat products from locally sourced, and humanely raised animals. Our butcher shop-farm relationship is very close and we visit each farm to observe how the animals are raised, what they eat and how they are treated.
As responsible meat eaters, it is important to maintain a connection to the meat we enjoy, the farms where the livestock are raised and people who care for them. Our philosophy is that the animals give their lives for us; in turn, we are respectful and never wasteful. From farm to table and through each season we hope to collectively share our responsible meat-eating practices and animal products with you.
