Meat News: The Butcher & Larder Gets Bigger and Better Than Ever With Local Foods
Over the past several years, Rob Levitt has cemented himself as Chicago's quintessential friendly neighborhood butcher. In a world monopolized by trends and high-speed, overwrought restaurant openings and multi-tiered dining empires, the idea of an old-school butcher shop became comforting for its nostalgia. But far beyond the nostalgia novelty, Levitt proved his mettle as one of Chicago's preeminent meat masters, from his days sourcing products from local farms and cooking them at mado to his days operating The Butcher & Larder. Along with his wife Allie, Levitt brought the old-school butcher shop ethos to the modern day, pioneering a new era of locally sourced meat. It's this mantra and drive that endeared Levitt so well to Local Foods, an upcoming Bucktown facility where Levitt will move his shop to this summer to expand operations and his breadth.
In its fourth year in business on Milwaukee Avenue just south of Wicker Park, The Butcher & Larder has become the reliable neighborhood butcher shop we all dream of; the type of quaint, wholesome business model you'd expect to find in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. But with more offal. The space is relatively small, which is befitting of that nostalgic butcher shop paradigm, but not so befitting of expansion needs. With limited space, there was always a ceiling to where Levitt could grow and take his business model. By hitching his wagon to Local Foods' star, he's able to simultaneously expand his business, expand Chicago's access to sustainable food, and broaden his customer reach.
Local Foods is a forthcoming 27,000 square foot facility coming to Bucktown this summer. Originated by Dave Rand, Andrew Lutsey, and Ryan Kimura, Local Foods took off as a delivery model to bridge the gap between farms and restaurants for chefs in Chicago. Now with their upcoming brick and mortar, they're all able to take that ideology and expand it exponentially. Think of it as the sustainable, wholly Midwestern version of Eataly in terms of scope. The massive space will include a wholesale distribution center, a retail store, and market. It promises to be a veritable wonderland of local, sustainable foods that run the gamut from produce and dairy to grains and of course, meats. The latter is where Levitt comes in, upping the ante on his meaty talents with his esteemed, seasoned team who have helped him achieve success in his current digs. The larger space affords them ample opportunities to provide more options for customers, chefs, and wholesale clients. One key aspect for the restaurant community in Chicago is Levitt's increased work with whole animals. Whereas his current shop is too small to work extensively with whole animals for chefs, the Local Foods facility will allow him to order whole animals for chefs, break it down, store it, and ship it. Farm-to-table is truly becoming more fulfilled.
The Local Foods space will grant The Butcher & Larder with 3,000 square feet in customer-oriented retail space and 4,000 square feet for classes, demonstrations, and wholesale distribution. The atmosphere will still adhere to the shop's core mantra as an old-school Americana butcher shop, complete with a lunch counter featuring sandwiches, cured meats, cheeses, and soups.
- Matt Kirouac