I’ve taken a bit of an unusual path to running a food business. I never went to culinary school and, outside of a year and a half working as a pastry cook in a high-end NYC restaurant, haven’t spent a ton of time in commercial kitchens. Although I learned a lot in the restaurant kitchen, my food education really came from my years spent working on livestock farms in Vermont and upstate New York. It was on these farms that I learned that the best meals don’t require fancy ingredients or complicated cooking techniques. As much as I love getting dressed up and going out to a nice restaurant, the most memorable meals on the farm were those we ate with dirt still under our nails and a loud noisy crew gathered around the table. None of the plates matched but the food was deeply nourishing because it was grown and raised with tremendous care and our hard work was responsible for that care. I learned about how much goes into growing good food and, especially for meat, everything that is required to raise animals with high regard for their welfare and a consideration of their impact on the environment. Knowing what it takes to raise good meat has led me to be extremely committed as a consumer to buying meat from farms that put in that work. It costs more but is worth every penny when I consider the impact on the land, on our health, and on the lives of the animals that feed us. When I started Kitchen Doula, I knew that sourcing the ingredients, especially the meat, for our soups and stews would be of the utmost importance. I’ve worked with some amazing small farms, including Tara Firma Farms, Casa Rosa Farms, and Wind Dancer Farms and while I still buy a lot from these places for myself (and recommend them to you too!), our weekly ordering got a bit too big for one small farm to handle. Luckily, I found Cream Co. Meats, a butcher and distributor based in Oakland with the same commitment that I have to high quality meat. Cream Co. sources from farms and ranches that prioritize the welfare of their animals and that utilize regenerative farming practices. I hope you can taste the difference and that you feel confident when you and your family eat our meals that you are enjoying food that has been raised with incredible love and care.
