At New Haven’s Provisions on State, the butcher counter can’t be missed. Rather than being tucked away in the corner of a large supermarket or hidden in favor of another refrigerated shelf filled with uniform, plastic-wrapped rectangles, the counter – and the people behind it – take center stage. After all, the butcher counter is the whole point at Provisions on State, one of Connecticut’s few dedicated butcher shops. Friendly, greeting every customer, and cheerfully showcasing not just ribeyes, but also house-made sausages and less ubiquitous cuts of meat, the staff are committed to providing the best service possible for every customer, regardless of their experience in the kitchen. To head butcher Zach Pierce, this is what whole animal craft butchery is about.
“I think the value in asking me or Jared [Provisions on State’s other butcher] what’s good is that we can give you informed recommendations, based on your need, especially in terms of building a knowledge base of different cuts.” Relationships drive the business, particularly in an industry with such low profit margins. “It’s not an experience – we’re not taking you skydiving – but that personalized interaction is the point of coming here. And if you like good food, we can give you better service than you’d have at the meat department in a supermarket, holding up a cellophane wrapped thing and asking, ‘what’s this?’” As expected from such a philosophy, Pierce is affable, pausing the interview to open the door for patrons and deliveries, alike.
Born and raised in New Haven – he speaks fondly of wandering East Rock and the areas near Wilbur Cross High School – Pierce got pulled into the service industry early and, like many others, stayed. While attending college in Philadelphia, he worked for both restaurants and farms in Pennsylvania. Eventually, however, Pierce returned home to New Haven. “When I moved back I became more interested in how you go from a carcass, so to speak, to what people are actually eating.” This led him to Saugatuck Craft Butcher, a now-defunct butcher shop in Westport. There, he learned whole animal butchery and joined the butcher community. “The butchering world is so small – there’s kind of these silly, almost archaic ‘you gotta pay your dues’ mindsets, though not necessarily at [Saugatuck] Craft, where everyone was really helpful to me.”
From there Pierce moved to Fleisher’s in Westport in 2018, and 2020 saw his professional return home to New Haven. “I have known Emily [Mingrone, co-owner of Provisions on State] since 2014, back when she worked in the restaurant at Fleisher’s. She texted me out of the blue and asked if I’d be interested in this project. The prospect of not having to commute to Westport was very exciting.” In joining the team at Provisions on State, Pierce was helping to put his hometown on the map as one of the few in the state with a dedicated butcher shop.
Pierce says that each professional step was critical to the development of his skill set. “It’s a very slow learning process, and there’s a million different ways to do anything.” Thankfully, the craft butcher community, itself, is a source of continuing education. To this day, Pierce keeps learning, staying in close touch with former colleagues. “It’s really cool because everyone is bouncing ideas off each other.”
Connecticut’s craft butcher community is small and closely knit, even though it is part of a much broader trend, tied up with that of the near-ubiquitous farm-to-table movement. Pierce estimates the number of dedicated retail butcher shops in Connecticut to be fewer than five and cites a few other processing plants as the restaurant corollary for craft butchery. This small group of professionals, however, invites a sense of community and collaboration. “Butchery has grown in the way that farm-to-table has, and alongside it. Everyone’s doing their own thing, but also watching and learning from what others are doing. It’s tight knit and we all have a lot of respect for each other. It’s not a glamorous job – we’re not going to get rich, quick – but I can’t think of anyone in the industry who wouldn’t happily talk about the trade and give tips, if you asked.”
A potential drawback to a small professional community, however, is becoming too insular, and Pierce notes the importance of social media as a platform for sharing and communication between craft butchers outside his local sphere. Butchers across the country can trade tips and techniques – not to mention some pretty pictures – with a simple message. “Especially with Instagram, you’re able to talk to butchers all over the country and share ideas with each other,” Pierce says, noting that he also uses it to keep in touch with his old colleagues at Saugatuck and Fleishers.
Of course, social media channels also provide a platform to connect with the public. Many craft butchers (including Pierce) leverage them to educate consumers on alternative cuts of meat and their preparation techniques, showing a side of meat that is lacking in the sea of supermarket shelves, and helping bring a sense of respect and beauty back to an industry long plagued by industrialization and an indifference towards the animals that move through it.
Pierce’s variety of professional experiences provide him with an understanding of the full journey an animal takes – from farm, to butcher, to consumer – and inform his own opinion about the importance of locally and ethically raised meat. He notes that animals from non-industrial sources exhibit different flavor characteristics, particularly pork, which Pierce says is uniquely distinguishable from its industrial counterparts. “Pastured, heritage pork is my favorite thing,” Pierce says, pointing out that livestock feed can affect the marbling, and that there’s a chemical difference in the fat of acorn-fed pork. “I’ll put a pastured pork chop on my plate before a ribeye any day.”
His favorite cut of meat to work with? “Coppa – a lot of times it’s cured into a slicing meat, but I like to cook it as a pork chop. It’s the same muscle. It’s a fattier, more flavorful pork chop, way more flavorful than a pork rib roast would be. Cook it just like a pork chop in a cast iron.” It’s just one of many suggestions your friendly, neighborhood butcher might offer the next time you visit.
> Provisions on State: 981 State St., New Haven; 203-691-6642
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