Each month Saugatuck Craft Butchery hosts an eight course dinner party paired with wine for twenty guests that highlights a different protein and Craft's pasture to table ethos. This approach—sourcing whole pasture-raised animals from small to medium-sized farms—follows what is often referred to as a nose-to-tail philosophy of utilizing the entire animal. These dinners are a celebration of this approach, a collaboration among the butchers and chefs at Craft, and a creative challenge for the Craft culinary team.
"They are so talented that my challenge as an owner, is to keep their interest.These dinners are a creative outlet and they celebrate what the shop does. They use all parts of the animal, from snout to tail," said owner and head butcher, Ryan Fibiger. Selecting the themes for these dinners may be a team effort, but much of the culinary planning comes from Mark Hepperman, Craft's Resident Chef and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over 20 years of experience.
One of the previous events in this series was the "Spring Lamb Dinner" which utilized two thirty pound young lambs for eight courses sourced from Josef Meiller farm and slaughterhouse in Pine Plains, New York.
Just a quick hop, skip and a purely sustainable, pasture-fed jump across Riverside Ave is the spankin' new Saugatuck Craft Butchery, now re-opened for business in Westport! Owner Ryan Fibiger and crew are ready and waiting with a crisp, clean, larger locale complete with a larger retail space as well as a complete, working kitchen where fresh, prepared foods are being made for purchase. Head Chef Mark Heppermann and his sous chefs have begun with sandwiches and salads, all made with the freshest ingredients. Meat from well...that's obvious, veggies pulled straight from the earth of the edible gardens - courtesy of Homefront Farmers - that surround the shop, and breads delivered daily from ELI's and Balthazar in NYC. The day we visited, we were pleased to find a Lamb Meatball Sandwich with pickled red onions and house made hummus as well as a gorgeous "Beets Me" salad with Quinoa, watercress and goat cheese.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into Eren’s Grill was the neatness and precision of the refrigerator case. Platters of perfectly aligned kebabs await the grill. Bowls of bright-red-hued eggplant-tomato salad and pale, fluffy humus. Glistening rows of dark-green stuffed grape leaves. Then Eren, a young man wearing chef’s white’s embellished with the Turkish flag, stepped out from the open kitchen and proudly started telling me about his fresh and homemade food.
Fairfield’s new and only Turkish restaurant is a small joint in a strip mall. With just a few tables, it does a lot of take-out and catering. Whether eat-in or take-out, it’s a welcome addition to the Tunxis Hill section of Fairfield, a neighborhood that could use more good food. And the food here is good: fresh and full of flavor. Ottoman cuisine has a long and noble history, and Eren – who was head chef of the Athens’ Tike, an international group of Turkish restaurants in places like London, Cyprus and Kiev -- for 8 years -- is proud to put his signature on it. “I want to play a little,” he says.
You won't believe what's in our PANTRY! Located at 1580 Post Road in Fairfield, Ct, The Pantry is much more than a food shop - it is Mecca for foodies as well as a one-stop-shop for busy consumers. Established in 2003 through the collaborative effort of chefs & food lovers, The Pantry has blossomed into a bustling marketplace stocked with an array of products and services for today's savvy clientele. What have they got? Top quality butchered meats & seafood (delivered daily from various New York markets), award winning desserts and pastries (the bakery has received "Best Desserts in Fairfield County" from Fairfield Weekly for 9 consecutive years), restaurant quality prepared foods & catering services, a full deli and salad bar, groceries, produce and floral & customized gift baskets. Whether you are looking for a freshly tossed salad, pan seared salmon with citrus, basil & olive oil or a chocolate chip cookie - The Pantry is the place to shop. This Pantry is stocked!!
The kids are going back to school, and so should you! Lead by example and take one of Saugatuck Craft Butchery's fall/winter classes. They are offering their usual Butchery 101 classes, as well as a special Holiday Edition. All registration is now done online, so visit the Craft Butchery website to reserve your spot. See below for details on all available classes.
They are also conducting pig butchering demonstrations- unlike the classes this is not hands-on, but it is still a great way to watch and learn as our butchers walk through the basic anatomy of a pig, artfully carving it into primals, then individual cuts.
“Americans eat way too much meat," Ryan Fibiger says, and then grins, "I guess that sounds funny coming from a butcher."
No kidding. But then Fibiger is a butcher truly on the “cutting edge” -- one of the very few whole animal cutters in America, sourcing his organic meat from local sustainable farms and utilizing every part of the animal, from nose to tail.
Once a Wall Street investment banker, he’s turned from issuing stock to butchering them. For the past two years Fibiger trained with the “moo-rus”” at Fleisher's Meats, a whole animal butcher shop in Kingston, NY. With his knives honed as keen as his business skills, Ryan decided to open Saugatuck Craft Butchery and join in Westport’s red hot culinary renaissance.
Ryan Fibiger, owner of Craft Butchery (opening soon in Saugatuck, Westport) will be making a unique appearance at The Westport Farmer's Market on Thursday October 13th. He will be walking guests through two butchering demonstrations at 11am and 1pm.
Ryan feels passionately that for anyone who loves food, understanding where food really comes from is an integral part of the culinary experience. The demos will be on a side (half) of a heritage breed, pasture-raised pig sourced from the Hudson Valley.
Throughout the demos Ryan will be hosting a discussion and Q&A on the following topics:
-Basic butchering techniques and tools
-Overview of the animal (farm, breed, age, feed, slaughter, primal cuts, etc.)
-Demonstrate break down of basic primal cuts
-Demonstrate break down into the case-ready cuts that everyone recognizes
Ryan Fibiger, a recent graduate of Fleisher’s Grass Fed and Organic Meats’ whole animal butchery program, is bringing his skills to Westport...Saugatuck to be exact. Coming this September, Saugatuck Craft Butchery featuring pasture raised & organic meats will be open for business. Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide recently spoke with Ryan about the shop as well as his meat CSA which will launch before his retail doors officially open.
Here is the concept in Ryan's own words...
"Our mission is to bring back the neighborhood butcher with an emphasis on whole animal butchery, education, and the creation of community. We will provide locally raised meats, prepared foods, restaurant wholesale, catering, instructional programs, and an exceptional shopping experience to customers in Fairfield County."
Last spring we told you about Bereket, an tiny authentic Turkish eatery tucked behind a gas station in Bridgeport. This fortuitous find primarily offered takeout, but if you were lucky enough to get one of the 3 small tables, you were served food worthy of an Ottoman emperor. While we loved hiding out behind the Citgo station, we were pleased to hear that owner Selahattin Cinar had moved his very reasonably priced menu and talented cooks to a much larger space in Blackrock (the old Helados Vazquez). With an upgraded interior worthy of the excellent fare, Selahattin can now focus on the customer experience...and a more gracious host you've never seen. Warm up your car for a quick departure to Bridgeport.
It's been 24 hours since I left Bereket, a tiny hole in the wall Turkish restaurant located behind a Citgo station on Bridgeport's Main Street. As I write this I wonder, is it too soon to go back?
Bereket has been dubbed by people in the know as Fairfield County's best kept secret, and I finally understand what all the fuss is about. Mind you, this place is not fussy. Hidden beside of the gas station's mini mart, Bereket's small dining space has only 3 tables and boxes of Turkish beverages and pantry staples lining the walls. But what this single room Turkish delight lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in the quality, freshness, and flavor of the food.
Owner Selahattin Cinar has been in business for 6 years, and chats with customers while holding court in the kitchen preparing a steady stream of take-out orders. He greeted us warmly as we walked in, and we were relieved to find that he spoke enough English to answer questions and help us navigate their extensive menu. When we asked what was good, we were led to a display case filled with cold mezes (appetizers) and kebabs awaiting the heat, and simply told,it's all good. And it was.
