Where Seattle Chefs Buy Meat for Their Home Kitchens

[Ethan Stowell (photo Renata Steiner); Mike Easton (photo Suzi Pratt); Zephyr Paquette]

If you're a carnivore in this town, you've likely stood at a handful of butcher counters picking out your dinner. If you're less culinarily inclined, the meat section of a restaurant menu is probably your sweet spot. But where do the chefs shop when they're not grilling up a chop for you?

As part of The Five Days of Meat, Eater Seattle caught up with some of our favorite chefs to find the cutting counters where we're most likely to bump into them.
—Julia Wayne

Ethan Stowell, Owner of All the Things
I go with the old school guys at Don & Joe's in Pike Place Market for three reasons:
1. They carry fresh lamb tongue.
2. They have sawdust on the floor and that's just cool.
3. They have a food stamp program. It's now called EBT and I've always thought it was cool that they do it.

Zephyr Paquette, Chef, Coastal Kitchen
I usually only get my meat direct from the farmers. I tend to get an entire half or primals and break them down. Sometimes I go to West Seattle to Terra Cole. I like to get my lamb and beef from Olsen, and my chicken from Stokesberry.

Mike Easton, Owner/Chef, Il Corvo and Pizzeria Gabbiano
Dot's closed. So now I'm a vegetarian.

Aaron Willis, Chef, Delicatus
I don't do much 'shopping' for meat in shops or stores. Most comes through the shop and purveyors. My favorite butcher is also a friend and that's Tracy Smaciarz from Heritage Meats down in Rochester. He's super knowledgeable, being a second generation meat cutter helps...He takes the time to work with chefs and customers alike to get what they are actually looking for. He keeps the local circle going by working with ranchers and chefs to maximize product use and keep prices fair for everyone. And he's not afraid to admit he's not a chef (laughs), but he could be.

Jesse Smith, Sous Chef, Cantinetta
DD Meats in Mountlake Terrace—I go there for so many reasons. These guys are old school country butchers that know their shit! Mostly, I buy porterhouse steaks cut in two pound slabs that I grill over applewood. But another reason is that their housemade sausages make Uli's look like a party favor. My favorite is the smoked mozzarella beef and pork bratwurst.

Jason Stoneburner, Chef, Bastille and Stoneburner
I'm mostly a veggie head but when I get all primal, I usually grab a hunk of beef from Sea Breeze Farm in the Ballard Farmers Market. Ask George and Rose for some of their puerco from Ranco Chancho. When I'm in the other rapidly growing part of town, I lean on Russell from Rain Shadow for thick cuts. He supplies patrons with the same quality meats from the same farms that the best restaurants in the city have access to.

Becky Selengut, Owner/Chef, Cornucopia Cuisine
My gal is Barbara who runs the butcher program for PCC. She works out of Issaquah and she gets me whatever I need. The Umpqua Valley lamb they sell is incredible. Tripe? Heart? Pork bones for stock? She can get it and all from sustainable farms.

Donovan MacInnis, Chef/Owner, Off the Rez
For home, I go to Central Market, because it has the best selection on any given day and decent service. For work, Painted Hills beef do it right and Carlton Farms is my fave purveyor for pork—they have the best whole hog in the PNW.

Ryuichi Nakano, Chef/Owner, Kisaku
We don't really use meat regularly, but when we do, it's Skagit River Ranch. They have a booth at the Saturday University Farmers Market. Their meat is grass-fed, natural, and tastes awesome.
· All Five Days of Meat 2014 Coverage [-ESEA-]