As a chef I've always been interested in Butchery. Actually when I was a kid for some reason I thought it was always cool. Lately I've become very focused on actually training to be a butcher and really understand what it is to be able to know everything there is about meat fabrication. I've also become obsessed with whole animal utilization and cooking which in my opinion really goes hand in hand with being a butcher and a chef.
As for the beer side of things that all got started from when I took my Beverage Management class (I'm also a full-time college student working on my bachelors degree online from New England Culinary Institute). As part of the class we had to develop a beverage program for a restaurant that included a beer list. While writing the list and reading about all of the different kinds of beer out there it re-sparked an interest that I had from before in craft beer. I did and still do race mountain bikes and always had to watch my weight so I stopped drinking beer but I've started again and couldn't be more happy about it. I've become somewhat obsessed with Craft Beer. I've decided that as soon as I graduate from school (hopefully later this year) I'm going to persue becoming a Certified Cicerone, which is the equivelent of a beer sommelier. That journey should be interesting.
I decided I'll end this first real post with a picture of one of the pigs that is being raised at Branched Oak Farms. These Berkshire Pigs are being raised on the leftover whey from the farms cheese making process. They are also being fed the leftover barley and hops from beer made by Modern Monks which is one of the best breweries in Nebraska. They should be ready in late september. You'll see lots of pictures of the animals when they are still alive. I love visiting and seeing the farms. I always want to know where my food comes from. Makes me respect them more when they are on my cutting board.
Beer drank while writing this post: Golden Frau by Thunderhead Brewery out of Kearney, NE.
