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What we're
all aboutThere are those who
eat to live. And then there are those who live to eat. The Healthy
Butcher caters to the latter. Whether you are buying fresh organic meat to
be used in your own food creation or buying our gourmet prepared foods to be
eaten by candlelight accompanied by a nice glass of wine, we ensure that what
you’re eating instigates within you a passion for food and most importantly, has
been produced the way nature intended.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT:
To ensure your food is produced the way nature intended.
Organic food is not a novelty… it was
the past and will be the future. Eating fruits, vegetables, grains, or
meats grown with pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and other
un-natural chemicals is ludicrous and unsustainable.
Do you remember the days when you could
walk into your local butcher shop to buy fresh meat grown
locally by a farmer who cared about his animals? When the cows would
graze in large pastures? When the chickens had access to both indoors & outdoors
and had time to sleep? And when growth was determined by the animals
eating habits, not growth hormones and anti-biotics. For most of us,
unfortunately, the answer is no. Industrialization over the last few
decades has brought us to this day of antibiotic stuffed, water injected,
assembly-line cut, pre-packaged meat.
The Healthy Butcher aims to restore an
area of the food industry that has wrongly disappeared. We are your
good 'ole fashion butcher.
We invite you to read about
Organics, Nutrition,
our favourite Recipes and hope to see you in our
store.
....
The following is a little about some
of the key people that make up The Healthy Butcher... to contact anyone listed
here, either call the store at:
416-ORGANIC (416-674-2642)
for both stores
Press 1 for the Queen Store
Press 2 for the Eglinton Store
or email:
info@thehealthybutcher.com
your email will be forwarded to the
appropriate individual
We have avoided posting everyone's
personal email because of spam issues.
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Mario Fiorucci and Tara Longo,
Co-Presidents
Lawyer and Investment Banker turned
Butchers.
Former Lawyer and Investment Banker,
Mario and Tara left their large Bay Street Firms to do the unimaginable – open
an organic butcher shop. The Healthy Butcher was born out of their frustration
of the difficulty finding good quality, fresh organic meat in Toronto and the
difficulty of finding good quality prepared foods to eat in the comfort of their
own home when their work schedules didn’t allow for enough time to spend
cooking.
So, they used their business savvy to
negotiate a deal with long-time owner and furniture store operator Sol
Borenstein to buy 565 Queen St West. in the heart of The Fashion District. After
restoring the building to its original 1890 beauty, their goal is to provide
downtown Toronto residents with a place they can trust to sell only the best
organic meats and gourmet prepared foods that will bring a passion for food to
their patrons’ dinner tables.
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Jonathan Abrahams, Executive Chef
Trained in England, Spain,
Israel, and Egypt, Jonathan brings a worldly flair to The Healthy Butcher’s
Express Gourmet prepared foods. After cooking at several Queen West
restaurants, Jonathan feels at home in the kitchen of The Healthy Butcher. “More
than anything, I like that I’m preparing honest products, using only the best
organic ingredients and never trying to pull anything over our customers,” says
Jonathan about working with local, organic & seasonal ingredients. Jonathan has
found a passion for experimentation, and loves the freedom to whip up any dish
on zero notice. “In restaurants, menus are created to last long periods of time
and once written it’s the same thing over and over until the next menu is
created; here, whatever is seasonal comes into the door as soon as its ripe with
little notice – at that point, it’s ‘these are for you Jon, do whatever’ and I
have to whip something up.” Jonathan loves the open dialogue with customers
coming into the store and wanting to learn how to cook something for the first
time. “To me, gourmet and organics are one in the same,” says Jonathan, “they
are about using the best ingredients and letting those ingredients shine with
minimal effort.”
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David Meli, Head Butcher of 298
Eglinton Ave. West
A graduate of the George Brown Culinary Management Program, Dave has cut his
teeth working some of the busiest bistro kitchens in Toronto. He has a mature
and sophisticated understanding of restaurant culture and works closely with the
many chefs in Toronto that represent our farmers on their menus. In 2007, Dave
spent four months in Malta learning about the cooking of his mother and father.
There, Dave witnessed a country smaller in size than Toronto participate in a
cuisine solely based on domestic vegetables, livestock and fish. He brings our
team a passion for food that is rooted in his understanding of local agriculture
systems and the capacity for an ethnicity to present themselves internationally
through their cuisine. With this approach in mind, Dave investigates the local
seasonal offerings in Ontario and builds them into our daily operations, always
moving towards a definition of a provincial personality expressed through food.
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Paul Bradshaw, Head Butcher of 565
Queen St. West
Paul Bradshaw brings to the Healthy butcher a passion for butchery rarely seen
at such a young age. Although he is only twenty-one years of age, he brings 8
years of butchering experience to the team. From a young age Paul developed his
passion for meat, he could tell the difference between cuts of beef before he
was in high school and could prepare a leg of lamb before he knew how to drive.
He comes to us from Royal Beef where he trained under some of the finest
butchers in Toronto and brings with him a classically trained talent with a
creative and innovative edge. Paul has a passion for meat reminiscent to the
days of old and happily offers that passion to The Healthy Butcher clientele.
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Ryan Rudnickas, Head Chef of 298
Eglinton Ave. West
After attending the culinary management program at George Brown, Ryan traveled
and cooked his way across Canada gaining an appreciation of Canada’s local,
regional bounty. Upon return to Toronto, Ryan spent time cooking in several
Toronto kitchens including Far Niente and The Healthy Butcher. A year in
Stratford as head chef of Carter’s On Downie restaurant inspired him to source
locally as much as possible, including organic produce from local farmers. Next
was a month in England working with Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck
restaurant, gaining an appreciation for detail, passion and experimentation.
After leaving England , Ryan pursued his interest in butchery and Charcuterie,
helping former Healthy Butcher colleague Sebastian Cortez in opening his organic
butcher shop in Vancouver. Now, after having gone full circle, he's back
home at The Healthy Butcher treating every customer with his culinary
creativity.
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Norberto Caceres, Head Chef of 565
Queen St. West
Norberto grew up in Argentina, a place known for excellent beef. His father’s
family owned some grazing land in the country side and a small butcher shop in
town. They would slaughter their own animals and use every part of it. Back then
they didn’t talk about meat being organic. At his family’s farm animals were
free-range and grass fed, because that was the way it was meant to be. A
passion for good food and good cooking were instilled in him at a young age, so
it was only natural that when he moved to Toronto five years ago, he started
working in a kitchen being trained by an international chef. He quickly learned
the skills to move all over the kitchen, and had learnt cooking techniques from
all over the world. Norberto is excited to be at the Healthy Butcher being able
to be close to the producer and the consumer, with a commitment to the
environment and a passion for food.
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Mario Fiorucci & Tara Longo receiving the building keys from Sol Borenstein,
long-time owner of this Queen St. shop
Before and after photos of the storefront at 565 Queen St. West.
The
original wooden pillars and colours were restored and a knotty pine sign
backboard was installed bringing the storefront to one typical of an early
1900's Queen St. store.
Compare the new Healthy Butcher store with this
picture of an 1800's pork butcher...
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