078 - James Lum III, Matthew Greene, JM Stock Provisions

Explicit content warning

08/03/17 • 72 min

Meat Work. Whole Damn Animal. In this conversation meet James Lum III and Matthew Greene of JM Stock Provisions. Our very own whole animal butchery right here in Charlottesville, Virginia. Third partner Hunter Hopcroft of the Richmond outpost couldn't join us, but no worries. We had enough butcher talk to go around!

I always ask the question, "Who should I talk to next?" at the end of each Edacious conversation. When you get to four or five saying, "Talk to JM Stock!" you take the hint. These guys are the real deal. They're doing the work, not just presenting an image to promote an image or make money. Every "Beef Day" they're in the back breaking down entire animals. Autumn Olive Farms, a past podcast guest, delivers whole pigs, Free Union Grass Farm delivers ducks, and River Oak Farm brings chickens just to name a few.

Synchronicity and happenstance played a big part in the decision of these two Winchester natives and former restaurant professionals to open a butcher shop. How were they trained and what did it involve? We talk about it as well as how their Kickstarter campaign played a big part in their future success. Watch the video. The end is the best thing ever LOL!

"It was really cool. It was a great experience. It was very moving to see that many people step up and show their support for what we wanted to do and Matt and I as individuals and the future of sustainable food. We had donors from Houston, Texas and San Francisco. It was cool to see that." ---James Lum III

JM Stock takes on interns every six weeks, one day a week, a renewable contract based on performance. They start out doing grunt work. If they can handle it, then comes the education. A great way to not only spread the gospel but discover untapped talent here in our area, creating jobs as they go. Half of their staff has graduated from the intern pool but that also means half just can't cut it. Literally.

"There is very little that is glamorous about it. Being a butcher is as blue collar as it comes. It's as blue collar as welding without the permanence of it. You could say that we're artisans but it's a term that is widely overused. We have a skill set that most people don't have. We believe what we do is super important. But it's not glamorous. It's a lot of hard work." ---Matthew Greene

"Part of our job is making it seem lovely. Which could be part of the problem." ---James Lum III

"The goal is to make what we do seem cool because in order for us to be successful we need people to care about what it is that we're doing. I think that that's true for most businesses...what we're doing is for the good of the community." ---Matthew Greene

It's a conundrum. How do you get folks to care without making them too queasy about where their meat comes from? How do you survive the pushback from vegetarians and others who think it's gratuitous and disrespectful to show a whole hog being broken down online. It's a delicate dance between education and not respecting the animal for the sake of Instagram and a dance these two gentlemen navigate very well. One look at their social media can tell you that.

We discuss this dance. Educating folks about why talking to your butcher and finding out where your meat comes from is an important aspect of being an educated consumer. It's not a luxury, but a new way of thinking that's actually an old way. Not just picking up the vacuum-packed pound of ground beef but TALKING to the butcher, finding out where that beef came from. Maybe letting him talk you into a new-t0-you off cut of meat like beef neck, which is delicious, easy to prepare, and tastes better than your momma's pot roast.

In sourcing locally and supporting sustainable agriculture is often seen as "hippy-dippy" or elitist, particularly in Charlottesville. But as Matt says so eloquently, part of JM Stock's goal is to support local, sustainable agriculture even in an area where real estate costs are high which means the cost to produce said animal is higher. That doesn't mean it has to be fancy, or only for the rich, or for those folks who consider themselves homesteaders. It should and can be for everybody.

"Our constant goal is to make it (sustainable agriculture) more and more approachable to everybody...especially for those in their late 20's and early 30's who are just starting to figure out what it is they care about as far as feeding themselves and feeding their families." ---Matthew Greene

How do you make a visit to the butcher less intimidating? We...

"Part of our job is making it seem lovely. Which could be part of the problem." ---James Lum III

How do you make a visit to the butcher less intimidating? We...

Previous Episode

077 - Ian Thomas, Marlene Steiner, Virginia Distillery Company

Whisky Work. Without the E. It's a twofer on Edacious! In this episode, we hear from Marlene Steiner and Ian Thomas, both of Virginia Distillery Company in Lovingston, Virginia. Today's podcast is another chance to educate everyone on the American Single Malt spirit category and on Virginia Distillery Company who are making waves, collecting awards as they do. In March VDC was named the Best American Single Malt Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards, presented by Whisky Magazine. When their own single malt, distilled right here in Virginia, is ready in 2019? I've no doubt the medals will continue to roll in.

Founder Dr. George Moore was a native Irishman and successful entrepreneur whose passions were Virginia and whisky. He raised his family here because it reminded him of Ireland and spent his life marrying his passions, working to establish a true whisky distillery in Virginia. Son Gareth and his wife Maggie carry on that tradition with VDC. First up? A complete tour of the process and a conversation with Distillery Director Ian Thomas.

My favorite part? The Cask Room full of aging whisky. The minute you walk in you're hit with a wall of lovely smells, wood, oak and aging alcohol with hints of vanilla and caramel. Air so thick and redolent if you breathe through your mouth you can taste it. I never wanted to leave!

"There's something about this industry where it's not quite instant gratification. You have to have a good bit of patience when making good whisky. There's something about walking into a space like that and seeing a sea of 7-800 casks resting and waiting...It fills me with joy." ---Ian Thomas

How do you know when whisky is ready for bottling? Who makes the final decision? Sensory analysis and training your palate is a huge part. The distillers train themselves, but also take a wide-open approach involving a tasting panel made up of folks in the brand department, production, and on the corporate side. Even folks working as Guest Experience Managers get a say. The distillers take that data, reference it, and make some decisions. Ian hails from Memphis, Tennessee where he studied Biology. Beyond distilling, Ian and his team are working hard to promote American Single Malt Whisky as a viable, respected, clearly-defined product.

"We're working hard with the American Single Malt Commission...to drive home this defining category of American Single Malt...We're really striving to help push this category...and get it defined...As a consumer, you always want to know what it is that you're purchasing...it's very much about knowing truly, if this is a single malt, there should be nothing blended into it." ---Ian Thomas

Does single malt reign supreme? Are blends better? We discuss both schools of thought. There is true skill to blending consistently and a couple of different approaches. But a truly great single malt can be a beautiful thing as well. Both require their own unique talents. Whisky, like wine, has terroir. VDC's whiskies use raw materials and water from Nelson County. They're barrel-aged in Virginia, making it a true Virginia whisky, distilled in Virginia with Virginia resources. This is whisky without the "e" folks.

"To us bourbon is kind of a swear word, and really defining the difference between those categories and those types of whiskies...To us it's who we are. We're rooted in that tradition...owning it and making it ours. Our process is here stateside as an American whisky. It's a blend of old world meets new world, and kind of our spin on it." ---Ian Thomas

Climate also plays a huge part in terroir. Whisky distilled here will taste different from one created on Islay or in the Scottish Highlands. Barrels are made of wood which is porous. They expand, contract, and breathe with every change in temperature and humidity, affecting the maturation process and taste. Climate data sensors live in every warehouse and minute information is constantly collected. The more data you collect, the more you learn the effects of climate, honing those a bit better to the maturation process. What does it mean to have a background in yeast? What is Ian's favorite part of the fermentation process? Give a listen!

Next up we speak with Brand Director Marlene Steiner about more "Front of House" subjects like cocktails, distillery events, community initiatives, and of course The Virginia Whisky Experience Tour, a hands-on interactive educational foray into the origins of whisky right here in Nelson County. My favorite part? The antique ...

Next Episode

079 - Charlottesville Community Magic

“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.” ---Marianne Williamson

Resistance Work. With Persistence, Resolve, Resilience, and Magic. Welcome Friends, to a special episode of Edacious. Because it is not business as usual in our town of Charlottesville, Virginia this week. Now is not the time to speak of the latest greatest cocktail invention, nor to promote the latest brewery opening or wine dinner. Now is the time to celebrate all that is good about Charlottesville, to remind ourselves despite the hatred that visited us over the weekend, when all is said and done, we are magic. We are greater than the sum of our parts. When our community decides to come together for a common cause with Big Love behind it, there is nothing that can stop us. Our resolve, our resilience, our persistence, and our magic will be the ingredients that point the way and keep us grounded. It's why I started this podcast. I looked around the community where I live and said, "Wow, folks need to know about this. Immediately. There is magic here."

In this episode, I talk about Community Magic and the good folks who make it happen for us each and every day in our stores, on our farms, in our offices, in our fields, at our restaurants and kitchens. Folks whose passion is food but who know that food is just a starting point for so many other greater discussions and events and moments of connection. I'm convinced food is the great equalizer, the thing we all do, the thing each and every one of us can connect on. If you can just get someone from the other side of the fence to break bread with you, amazing things can happen. It's why I'm here. It's why I will continue to use this podcast to broadcast magic. Go in peace friends. Break bread. Practice self care. Get strong. Because this is only the beginning. Big Love. #Charlottesville #CvilleStrong #LoveisLove #YallMeansAll

Charlottesville Makers of Magic Mentioned During This Episode. There are SO many others near and far I didn't get to. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for keeping our Charlottesville community strong as well as your own, wherever you may be.

Kristin Adolfson of Still Point Press Design Angie Akey of Moxie Salon Brian Ashworth of Ace Biscuit and Barbecue Heather Balmat, trademark lawyer Jason Becton and Patrick Evans of MarieBette Café and Bakery Bellair Market MC Blair, radio host Laurie Blakey of Pearl's Bake Shoppe Jake Busching, winemaker Sheri Castle, food writer Polina Chesnakova, food writer Sara Cramer Shields and Andrea Hubbell of Our Local Commons Travis Croxton of Rappahannock Oyster Company Nancy Carter Crump, food historian Will Curley of The Coat Room Cville Coffee Simon Davidson of The Charlottesville 29 Victoria Dunham, chef Tim Edmond and Daniel Potter of Potter's Craft Cider Feast! Liz Finklestein, Piefest volunteer Jeanne Frey of Treat Yourself Right Massage Tim Gearhart of Gearhart's Fine Chocolates Grit Coffee Craig Hartman of The BBQ Exchange Martin Herbert of Small Potatoes Sales and Marketing and an Edacious Patreon supporter Gail Hobbs-Page of Caromont Farm Cheese Betty Hoge, Small Business Development Center David Hopper of Chutney Ferret Industries Phyllis Hunter and Will Harville of The Spice Diva Integral Yoga Java Java JM Stock Provisions Michele Jones of Pasture, Flora, Comfort Tami Keaveney of Tavola and The Cicchetti Bar Harrison and Jennifer Keevil of Keevil & Keevil Grocery and Kitchen Market Street Market Milli Joe's Susan McCulley, Nia Instructor Christopher Morris, photographer Mudhouse Coffee Gerry Newman of Albemarle Baking Company Rachel Pennington of The Pie Chest Jenny Bandy Peterson of Paradox Pastry Rebecca's Natural Foods Allie Redshaw Wilson Richey of Ten Course Hospitality Matt Rohdie of Carpe Donut Shenandoah Joe's PK Ross of Splendora's Gelato Bill Smith of Crook's Corner Hunter Smith of Champion Brewery Dawn Story of Farmstead Ferments Ian Thomas and Marlene Steiner of Virginia Distillery Company Timbercreek Market Angelo Vangelopoulos of The Ivy Inn Justin Vesser, PieFest and Soup There It Is! contest winner Amanda Welch of Grubby Girl Brian Wimer of IX Park and Lovefest Cynthia Woodring, yoga instructor

SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast:

Help Our Charlottesville Community Recover - Please consider donating to this cause, supporting victims of last weekend's violence. Thank you.
An Open Letter - Local food writer Simon Davidson responds to a GQ piece about August 12th.