December 2014 Customer Newsletter
The New Header
"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."

- Abraham Lincoln 


Get ready for great gifting

   
In store exclusive! Savory meat pies from our friends at Mountain Pie Company
 
Golden flaky gourmet hand pies in a variety of flavors including Classic Beef & Aged Cheddar, Steak & Ale, Chicken Mushroom Gouda and Mac & Bacon...
 
All made with Ranch Foods Direct-sourced ingredients!

  

  


Meet Retail Manager
Chef Mark Henry:

He talks inspiration, craft, mission 
 

Since Chef Mark Henry (above) took over as retail manager at Ranch Foods Direct, the store has introduced several new cured and smoked products, including but not limited to:   

❄ homemade "porkstrami"
❄ Spanish style guanciale bacon, made from pork jowls
❄ pancetta stuffed with a mild paprika and fennel sausage
❄ awesome holiday hams, smoked on-site
❄ buckwood bacon
❄ smoked summer sausage
❄ spicy Cajun/Creole Tasso ham, a Southern Louisiana specialty
❄ prosciutto (aging now; available soon!)  

  
WHAT DREW YOU TO ARTISAN BUTCHERING?
My grandfather made this Lebanese bologna, and I always wanted to learn how to make it. He died in 1992. It's the first thing I learned how to make when I got into making sausage. Now I make it at home all the time. Sausage is so much fun. I really like taking an ordinary cut of meat and making it into a special product. Right now I'm focused on introducing specialty value-added products at Ranch Foods Direct, cured meats like pork pastrami and prosciutto, that kind of thing. In the traditional Italian style, prosciutto takes 9 to 12 months to make; it just takes that long to do it right. Butchering is not new, but what's happening now in the food industry is that the newer flavor profiles are being melded together with old-style techniques. That's the principle behind my award-winning sausages.


WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CUTS?
A chuck-eye steak is my favorite cut of beef. I buy them every week. But nobody has chuck-eye steaks like we do at Ranch Foods Direct. If you get a bad one, it will be tough, maybe even inedible. But that whole muscle group is extremely well marbled when the animals are raised well. I'm also the kind of person who will eat short ribs every day of the week over a rib-eye steak. But I stick to beef and pork; I don't eat much chicken or seafood.
 
WHO IS YOUR FOOD HERO?
Thomas Keller (famous Napa Valley chef, owner of The French Laundry.) He figures out how to make a better product but he also develops a system in order to make that product consistently. He's my inspiration. What's the point of working so hard to further your craft if you aren't trying new things? I don't want to be doing the same thing a year from now as I'm doing now. I want to learn and grow.

WHAT IS YOUR MISSION AS A CRAFT BUTCHER?
I want to get people back to eating nose-to-tail again. The only way the food system works is if people eat the whole animal. It blows my mind when somebody comes into the store and doesn't know where the brisket comes from on the animal. I also want people to understand the importance of meat production to the environment. If all we did was grow vegetables, over a period of time everyone would starve because we would have mined all of the nutrients from the ground. If we didn't have livestock, the whole ecosystem couldn't run. 


Customer Snapshot 
 "What brings you to Drifters Hamburgers today?"
 
 

Names: Blake Traxler and Cang Nguyen, IT specialists with Colorado Computer Support  


Sighted at: Drifters Hamburgers original location, 4455 Mark Dabling Blvd.

What brings you here: The "double" is just the right amount, it's perfect. It's two patties with grilled onions and the special Drifters sauce... It seems like this place is a little bit under the radar, but once people are made aware of it, they're convinced and the word spreads... The price is pretty comparable to other fast food places but the quality is so much better. It's Callicrate Beef, which is the best beef anywhere. And the convenience factor is nice.

Describe your Ranch Foods Direct shopping experience:
Blake: When I first went to Ranch Foods Direct just to look, I asked (owner) Mike Callicrate what he would recommend and he said the coulotte (a top sirloin cap steak). That was the best piece of meat I've ever had, and I'm not exaggerating! When you go to somewhere like an Outback Steakhouse after that, it's just not going to be anywhere close to the same.

Cang: The level of customer service is great. And I personally like what Ranch Foods Direct offers. It's either local or at least they know where it comes from. I like their minimalist approach. It puts me at ease.

Blake: I agree. Knowing they are committed to doing the right thing is definitely reassuring.
Finally, candies as healthy as they are beautiful...
 

New from Radiantly Raw Chocolates: Two new limited edition flavors for the Christmas season, Mint Fudge and Pecan Turtle, in 2-packs.

Plus, take advantage of our Holiday Combo Special
 
Purchase a Callicrate Beef strip steak with a holiday assortment and be entered to win a steak and a dozen chocolates!
  

Last minute Christmas shopping? Ranch Foods Direct has you covered... 

 

Bundle up by December 31st and save!
CLICK HERE to shop the wide selection of Callicrate beef bundles at Ranch Foods Direct.

Order by phone, on-line or in-store and pick up at your convenience!