Bringing old world service and traditional full-service butchering downtown
Inspired by old world neighbourhood butchers, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop will open for business January 3rd on the corner of Powell and Gore Streets. This “new traditional” butcher shop will focus on offering sustainable, local and fresh meats and old-world service to retail and wholesale customers across Vancouver.
Big Lou’s will feature display cases stocked with prime meats, game and poultry with a focus on locally supplied products. Award-winning sustainable farms like Sloping Hills for pork, Polderside Farms for poultry and lamb, and Pemberton for beef not only use best practices, they also make the best-tasting meats.
While these will be the backbone of the selection, seasonal game and specialty meats will also be available and an ever-changing selection of house made items like sausage, cured meats, dressings, cures, marinades and pickled vegetables will make Big Lou’s a one stop for home chefs. Big Lous’s all also offer restaurant meal replacement items like braised short ribs, lamb shanks and pork belly for quick preparation and delicious results.
Along with retail sales, Big Lou’s will also feature a sandwich counter serving fresh made traditional deli sandwiches built around house-made prepared meats. Highlights will be slow-cooked caramelized beef, pastramis, sliced to order porchetta, all served with classic sides. The deli counter dining and takeout will be supplemented by a more extensive boucherie-style catering menu for home and office occasions. For special events, the retail side of the shop will also be available as a location for intimate dining.
Allan Bosomworth and Karl Gregg, the partners behind Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, also run the nearby French-inspired Two Chefs and a Table bistro. The idea for a locally-focussed head-to-tail butcher emerged from the day to day process of making the growing range of housemade sausages, pates and prepared meats used in the bistro. Inspired by the role of “the boucher” in traditional French kitchens, Big Lou’s will be a butcher shop that approaches the craft with a chef’s mindset—do it right, reduce waste by using the whole animal and make the meat easy to work with in the kitchen.
Though the return to the traditional butcher’s craft is being led by big cities, shops like Big Lou’s are fuelled by small-town and neighbourhood values. Dressed in crisp white oxford shirts with suspenders and traditional butcher’s aprons, the Big Lou’s staff will offer personal service and expert help for customers whether they’re choosing from the glass retail cases or requesting custom butchered meats.
Whether you want a source for local, sustainablly farmed meats, homemade meal replacements items or a place where the butchering process is open, internactive and personal, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop will be your one stop for meat. Located at 269 Powell Street, Big Lou’s can be found on the web at www.biglousbutchershop.com.
