THE REAL STORY
We weren’t meat processors.
And we still aren’t.
Our family was just hungry for something better – something truly cooked and not processed – in the deli. When we started talking to people about it and sharing a roast or two, we found we weren’t alone. From the start of our business, although it was always hard, we stuck to one idea: We would cook real food — real roasts like we served our family and friends on special occasions. Little did we realize how radical an idea that would prove to be in the context of supermarket delis.
This REAL FOOD idea had all kinds of delicious consequences. We couldn’t process deli product like others in the business. We broke it down like this: REAL MEAT, REAL INGREDIENTS, REAL COOKIN’.
REAL MEAT
When we sell a roast turkey breast, we have a duty and a mission to actually roast a real, single turkey breast as it comes off the bone from one turkey. We couldn’t take a bunch of turkey meat and process it into a big deli product like you see in stores everywhere. That’s why our turkey breasts only weigh three or four pounds. Hams too. REAL MEAT. One piece. Natural size.
REAL INGREDIENTS
Whether it’s a simple roast or a fancy flavor, it takes real cooking and sometimes lots of real ingredients to get our meats this delicious. When we say an item is natural, that means we don’t use artificial ingredients, painted-on caramel colors, or the other usual tricks of the trade. But we sure do use herbs and spices and things like extra virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, and sometimes even fruit juice or minced vegetables. You know, REAL INGREDIENTS.
REAL COOKIN’
When we sell a roast – roast turkey, roast beef, whatever – we have a duty and a mission to actually roast it. That means exposing our meat directly to high heat in an oven instead of just pasteurizing it in a bag or form like other so-called natural brands. That’s called REAL COOKIN’. Roast means roast. Bags and forms are not allowed.
When the meats are delicious by themselves, condiments are a decision, not a requirement.
So, contrary to the standard in the business, which somehow includes a process in which turkeys and hams gain weight in preparation, ours roasts weigh less than the raw meat we start with, just like if you cooked them at home. Forget all the industry jargon about “minimally processed products.” That’s just language the government requires on so-called “natural meats.” We really COOK, not process.