Latest news with #butchery
ABC News
31-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australians carve global success at World Butchers' Challenge in Paris
In a packed Paris stadium filled with patriotic fervour and flags from 16 nations, a baying crowd joins the countdown to begin the competition. At the bell, each man in a team of six unsheathes his knife and seizes a carcass of beef, pork, chicken or lamb. It is "the Olympics of butchery", also known as the World Butchers' Challenge. "The atmosphere was electric this year, especially with the addition of the Belgian team," Australian competitor Tom Bouchier said. "They brought air raid sirens with them, the French had hundreds of apprentices there with horns blowing. "It was just exactly like a European soccer match." The contest unfolded over almost four unrelenting, sweat-inducing hours, during which meat was transformed into the finest of culinary creations. It was a slightly incongruous sight with brawny butchers producing exquisitely delicate, artistic meat dishes. She was one of the vocal supporters cheering the Australian senior and junior teams at the challenge in April. "The teams have three and a half hours to create as many beautiful, value-added, retail-ready products as they can, so it's quite incredible to see what the other nations come up with," Ms Bouchier said. Teams provided their own seasonings, spices, marinades and garnishes to finish products which had to be eye-catching, easily cooked, and suitable for retail. Melbourne gourmet butcher Troy Wheeler said his role in the team was to add value. "So I get given some different proteins, whether it be chicken, pork, beef, and lamb," he said. "And I turn those into a product that is appealing in a retail butchers' shop setting and cookable and relatable to what the consumer would be looking for." Independent judges scored each team based on technique, skill, workmanship, product innovation and the overall finish and presentation. Master butcher Peter Bouchier was in Paris to cheer on his son Tom. He said the competition was full-on. The latest World Butchers' Challenge was the biggest and best yet, a far cry from its humble beginnings in a paddock in 2011 when it was only between Australia and New Zealand. At the last world challenge held in the United States, the Australians were pipped into second by the German team, which was the favourite to win again this year. But it was the French home side that took the honours, with the Germans placed second and the Australians coming third. Third-generation butcher and challenge fan, Ashley Haynes, watched a live stream of the event from Finley in southern New South Wales, where he ran a retail butcher shop. "For our Aussie boys to go across there and finish third is just an amazing effort, to play away, an away game on their terms, using their equipment and their produce, yeah, just phenomenal," Mr Haynes said. "And what that does for the whole industry is reinvigorates all of us along the chain, I think it gives us all a little aspiration to maybe be a part of something like that and that should inspire everybody." Danielle Bouchier said it was an incredible event for the industry. "It's not really looked on to be a very glamorous industry, so anything that showcases the talent and the artistry that butchers put into their craft [is positive]," she said. The six butchers representing Australia hailed from various states, so practising as a team was not easy. On the eve of departure for Paris, final practice plans were blown away, quite literally by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. "It was going to be a bit of an open training session at a lamb expo that was up on the Gold Coast," Tom Bouchier said. The event was cancelled, robbing team members of a chance to put the final refinements on their routine. But their slicing skills and artistic flair did not suffer for it. Team member Brett Laws, a retail butcher from Miranda, a southern Sydney suburb, was named in the world all-star team. A similar honour was bestowed on Tom Bouchier. It was the sixth time Tom had represented his country in the competition. He hoped to be selected for a seventh. "Being able to wear the green and gold and carry the Australian flag brings a great deal of pride." Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or stream anytime on ABC iview.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Female butcher in Massachusetts aims to make butchering less intimidating for women
A female butcher in Cohasset, Massachusetts is breaking barriers with her own business and inspiring other women. Rosangela Teodoro owns Teodora's Boucherie Gourmande on Route 3A in Cohasset. When you walk in, you're greeted by a display of beef, pork and chicken, handled by staff wearing cowboy boots and rancher hats. There aren't many female butchers out there but Teodoro knows her stuff. Grew up on cattle farm in Brazil "I was born into that. My father was in the cattle business," said Teodoro. "That's how he starts his life back home." Teodoro grew up on a cattle farm in Brazil, watching her father build his ranch business from the ground up. When she moved to the United States and started her own family, carrying on the business took on a new meaning. "It can tell my story through what I'm doing, what I went through, how I was raised," said Teodoro. Aims to empower and inspire women Her mission is to make meat and huge butcher's knives less intimidating for women. "I had to build some confidence with meat," said Teodoro's friend Yeemay Su, who works the counter at the butcher shop. "When you know that it's grass-fed quality, then you start to really appreciate and enjoy more of it." "I want to inspire other women to really get into the industry, it's an amazing industry," said Teodoro. "You see the animal raising, they get to you and you present it so people can enjoy." Teodoro is proving that women belong at the butcher block, not just buying the meat but breaking it down themselves. "Being a butcher, that's a very rewarding profession, I'd say, we need more women doing that," said Teodoro.
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Why America's ‘Beautiful Beef' Is a Trade War Sore Point for Europe
Hendrik Dierendonck, a second-generation butcher who has become, as he describes it, 'world famous in Belgium' for his curated local beef, thinks Europe's way of raising cattle results in varied and delicious cuts that European consumers prize. 'They want hormone-free, grass-fed,' Mr. Dierendonck explained recently as he cut steaks at a bloody chopping block in his Michelin-starred restaurant, which backs onto the butchery his father started in the 1970s. 'They want to know where it came from.' Strict European Union food regulations, including a ban on hormones, govern Mr. Dierendonck's work. And those rules could turn into a trade-war sticking point. The Trump administration argues that American meat, produced without similar regulations, is better — and wants Europe to buy more of it, and other American farm products. 'They hate our beef because our beef is beautiful,' Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, said in a televised interview last month. 'And theirs is weak.' Questions of beauty and strength aside, the administration is right about one thing: European policymakers are not keen on allowing more hormone-raised American steaks and burgers into the European Union. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Logan Terence Lopez on how ‘La La Land' inspired him to open Wurst in Bangsar, his journey in butchery and his newest project, Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — 'It's one of those kitchen jobs where no one disturbs you. It's just you and the meat, and I enjoy that moment of peace,' says Logan Terence Lopez, describing his affinity for butchery. A towering figure with the demeanour of a gentle giant, the 39-year-old is best known for Wurst, the non-halal deli and restaurant that's become a crowd favourite in Bangsar's Lucky Garden. Interestingly, he actually got his start not far from where he is today. 'I left school and was working part-time as a dishwasher at The Mangotree in Bangsar, where Ricky Parlanti was the chef,' he recalls. 'One day, he just sacked me, saying I should aim higher in life. The following day, he called me wanting to talk about enrolling me in KDU — and that's how it all started.' Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) – now called University of Wollongong – has a well-known culinary program. He's characteristically cool when I press him on the subject of being sacked and told to go to school. 'I guess I'd do the same if I found someone who I think has potential, and if I think fits the bill.' Lopez is a veteran of the restaurant industry, having worked for airlines, hotels and restaurant groups. — Picture by Choo Choy May After graduating, Lopez travelled widely, working in 'food costing and engineering' for airlines and spending some time in China. When he returned to Malaysia, he moved through several restaurants. 'One of my early experiences was with the Tai Thong Group — I was one of the group's sous chefs,' he says. 'Then I headed Le Bouchon, and later I worked for a consulting company from Canada, where I set up Asian Heritage Row on Jalan Doraisamy. I used to do all the kitchen designs. Back then, my baby was a place called — I think it's called The Mansion?' It wasn't until Lopez worked with Chef Jochen Kern at Chalet, in the old Equatorial Hotel, that his path to butchery began. 'I was actually a saucier first, and I always had issues with my butchers running out of items and all that,' he adds. 'So I decided not to depend on them. I went and got permission from the executive chef to cut whatever meat I needed.' An exterior shot of Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May With no formal training, he leaned on close friends, mentors, and the hard lessons that come from doing things wrong. 'Most of the people I'm close to in the industry are much older than me, and I'm never shy to ask them to teach me,' he explains. 'Butchery was part of culinary school, but it's very different in restaurants. In class, you'll make mistakes, but you never learn how to be okay with them.' 'You do it wrong? You get a new piece of meat to cut. But in the industry, you make a mistake, and you have to learn how to manage it. What can I turn this into, you know?' he continues. 'Mistakes or not, one thing you must do is be hardworking. You don't give up just because something doesn't work. 'The most important thing is to trust yourself. You have to be okay with saying, oh, today wasn't good. But tomorrow will be better.' All those years spent learning from mentors and moving through different kitchens eventually pushed Lopez toward opening a place of his own. 'A few years before the pandemic, I started thinking about it,' he recalls. 'There was no plan to open Wurst. I just wanted something small, in a basement, something underground.' 'There was this movie... was it La La Land? The first hour is the most boring movie, but when he opens Seb's, his jazz club down there – I thought, this is what I want!' Lopez secured a spot in the basement of the MOV Hotel in Bukit Bintang. The owners floated the idea of a sausage and cocktail bar, suggesting the name 'The Wurst Bar.' 'Unfortunately, if you want to be on and Agoda, you have to provide food,' he says. 'So The Wurst Bar tak jadi lah – it just became Wurst.' For the two years they operated out of MOV, Wurst was pork-free. Even after the pandemic, when Lopez moved the business to Lucky Garden – already his central kitchen – it stayed that way. 'One day, I fell sick and finally had the time to do my costing,' he recalls. 'I realised, shit, my losses were really a lot.' 'Just a rough calculation, but for every customer who came to eat at Wurst, I was topping up RM8 on the bill. We just weren't making enough,' he explains. 'So I said, screw it. Let's do pork.' Two years on, Lopez has come to relish his porky reputation. 'You can't U-turn back – people now always relate me to pork, so I'd rather just be known as the pork guy.' That reputation followed him into his next venture: Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan, another central-kitchen-turned-restaurant in Seputeh that channels his love for pork into a more casual, everyday format, with dishes like roti babi, pork tendon ball noodles, and even marble butter cake made with lard. 'Roti babi' at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May 'I've had this location for a year now. From here we supply sausages, meats and all that to other restaurants,' he explains. 'Actually, I wanted to open (Ah Gan) six months ago. Then I realised, everyone is into kopitiams now. I didn't want to do that. 'We don't call this a kopitiam. This is just your local taman eatery. You eat what we have lah. Today there's soup, you'll eat that. Tomorrow there's a special, you'll eat that.' As with much of his career, Lopez draws inspiration from the people around him. That shows most clearly in dishes like the roti babi and marble butter cake. 'I'm very close to 'Uncle' Jack, who owns Yut Kee,' he says. 'It's out of respect. You can call it an homage or a tribute, but it's also a little more personal. 'Whenever we meet or sit down, we can really relate and talk about food. Not all business owners and chefs are willing to do that. 'He's always very open whenever I ask what he thinks or what I should do. So he's an important part of my journey in this.' Marble butter cake, made with lard, at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May Other dishes carry different kinds of memories or improvisation. 'The pork tendon balls were supposed to be with beef tendon, but I don't have any beef tendon!' he laughs. 'There was one Chinese aunty who taught me how to make them a long time ago. The sauce is made with pork bones, vinegar, dark soy sauce, ginger, garlic and just a little bit of egg drop.' Plenty more dishes will make their way onto the menu depending on the whims and fancies of Lopez – vinegar pork trotters are on the horizon, along with the unexpected inclusion of Hakka lei cha. The decidedly green, tea-centric profile of the latter might seem unusual for a chef so closely associated with meat, but it turns out to be a more honest reflection of who he is. 'I love vegetables. I love vegetables,' he says, repeating himself with fervour. 'I can live without meat.' The serendipitous pork tendon ball noodle. — Picture by Choo Choy May The interview begins to veer off course at this point, as a friend – one of Lopez's longtime regulars – jumps in to reminisce about the time they first brought him to their regular lei cha spot in PJ Old Town six years ago. The mood turns rowdy as they recall how the stall's aunty took a particular shine to Lopez, expressing her affection with free soup and special treatment. 'The aunty liked him so much, you know,' the friend says, bounding over and gesturing wildly. 'She would be like, 'Eh, boy, you try this one. Less water, more greens.' Oi! I've been coming here for 30 years, never give me also!' For all his years in hotels and consulting for big restaurant groups, what Lopez values most now is something far simpler. 'I didn't open Ah Gan to complicate things,' he admits. 'I think of it as a canteen for industrial, working people. 'I never opened this place thinking of replicating any brand. Ah Gan is only a thing because, legally, I need to register the business with a brand. Otherwise, I would just operate without signage.' The name comes from both Lopez and his partner having the letters 'G', 'A' and 'N' in their names. Finally, in classic Lopez fashion, he isn't caught up in trying to aggressively market Ah Gan or even planning for the future. 'Mostly, I'm just going to take it one step at a time.' Lopez chatting with longtime regulars and old friends at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May Wurst 15-G, Persiaran Ara Kiri, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur Open daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 012-423 4588 Instagram: Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan 11-1, Persiaran Syed Putra 3, Taman Persiaran Desa, Kuala Lumpur Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm Tel: 012-423 4588 Instagram: * Follow us on Instagram for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
Malay Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Logan Terence Lopez on how ‘La La Land' inspired him to open Wurst in Bangsar, his journey in butchery and his newest project, Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — 'It's one of those kitchen jobs where no one disturbs you. It's just you and the meat, and I enjoy that moment of peace,' says Logan Terence Lopez, describing his affinity for butchery. A towering figure with the demeanour of a gentle giant, the 39-year-old is best known for Wurst, the non-halal deli and restaurant that's become a crowd favourite in Bangsar's Lucky Garden. Interestingly, he actually got his start not far from where he is today. 'I left school and was working part-time as a dishwasher at The Mangotree in Bangsar, where Ricky Parlanti was the chef,' he recalls. 'One day, he just sacked me, saying I should aim higher in life. The following day, he called me wanting to talk about enrolling me in KDU — and that's how it all started.' Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) – now called University of Wollongong – has a well-known culinary program. He's characteristically cool when I press him on the subject of being sacked and told to go to school. 'I guess I'd do the same if I found someone who I think has potential, and if I think fits the bill.' Lopez is a veteran of the restaurant industry, having worked for airlines, hotels and restaurant groups. — Picture by Choo Choy May After graduating, Lopez travelled widely, working in 'food costing and engineering' for airlines and spending some time in China. When he returned to Malaysia, he moved through several restaurants. 'One of my early experiences was with the Tai Thong Group — I was one of the group's sous chefs,' he says. 'Then I headed Le Bouchon, and later I worked for a consulting company from Canada, where I set up Asian Heritage Row on Jalan Doraisamy. I used to do all the kitchen designs. Back then, my baby was a place called — I think it's called The Mansion?' It wasn't until Lopez worked with Chef Jochen Kern at Chalet, in the old Equatorial Hotel, that his path to butchery began. 'I was actually a saucier first, and I always had issues with my butchers running out of items and all that,' he adds. 'So I decided not to depend on them. I went and got permission from the executive chef to cut whatever meat I needed.' An exterior shot of Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May With no formal training, he leaned on close friends, mentors, and the hard lessons that come from doing things wrong. 'Most of the people I'm close to in the industry are much older than me, and I'm never shy to ask them to teach me,' he explains. 'Butchery was part of culinary school, but it's very different in restaurants. In class, you'll make mistakes, but you never learn how to be okay with them.' 'You do it wrong? You get a new piece of meat to cut. But in the industry, you make a mistake, and you have to learn how to manage it. What can I turn this into, you know?' he continues. 'Mistakes or not, one thing you must do is be hardworking. You don't give up just because something doesn't work. 'The most important thing is to trust yourself. You have to be okay with saying, oh, today wasn't good. But tomorrow will be better.' All those years spent learning from mentors and moving through different kitchens eventually pushed Lopez toward opening a place of his own. 'A few years before the pandemic, I started thinking about it,' he recalls. 'There was no plan to open Wurst. I just wanted something small, in a basement, something underground.' 'There was this movie... was it La La Land? The first hour is the most boring movie, but when he opens Seb's, his jazz club down there – I thought, this is what I want!' Lopez secured a spot in the basement of the MOV Hotel in Bukit Bintang. The owners floated the idea of a sausage and cocktail bar, suggesting the name 'The Wurst Bar.' 'Unfortunately, if you want to be on and Agoda, you have to provide food,' he says. 'So The Wurst Bar tak jadi lah – it just became Wurst.' For the two years they operated out of MOV, Wurst was pork-free. Even after the pandemic, when Lopez moved the business to Lucky Garden – already his central kitchen – it stayed that way. 'One day, I fell sick and finally had the time to do my costing,' he recalls. 'I realised, shit, my losses were really a lot.' 'Just a rough calculation, but for every customer who came to eat at Wurst, I was topping up RM8 on the bill. We just weren't making enough,' he explains. 'So I said, screw it. Let's do pork.' Two years on, Lopez has come to relish his porky reputation. 'You can't U-turn back – people now always relate me to pork, so I'd rather just be known as the pork guy.' That reputation followed him into his next venture: Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan, another central-kitchen-turned-restaurant in Seputeh that channels his love for pork into a more casual, everyday format, with dishes like roti babi, pork tendon ball noodles, and even marble butter cake made with lard. 'Roti babi' at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May 'I've had this location for a year now. From here we supply sausages, meats and all that to other restaurants,' he explains. 'Actually, I wanted to open (Ah Gan) six months ago. Then I realised, everyone is into kopitiams now. I didn't want to do that. 'We don't call this a kopitiam. This is just your local taman eatery. You eat what we have lah. Today there's soup, you'll eat that. Tomorrow there's a special, you'll eat that.' As with much of his career, Lopez draws inspiration from the people around him. That shows most clearly in dishes like the roti babi and marble butter cake. 'I'm very close to 'Uncle' Jack, who owns Yut Kee,' he says. 'It's out of respect. You can call it an homage or a tribute, but it's also a little more personal. 'Whenever we meet or sit down, we can really relate and talk about food. Not all business owners and chefs are willing to do that. 'He's always very open whenever I ask what he thinks or what I should do. So he's an important part of my journey in this.' Marble butter cake, made with lard, at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May Other dishes carry different kinds of memories or improvisation. 'The pork tendon balls were supposed to be with beef tendon, but I don't have any beef tendon!' he laughs. 'There was one Chinese aunty who taught me how to make them a long time ago. The sauce is made with pork bones, vinegar, dark soy sauce, ginger, garlic and just a little bit of egg drop.' Plenty more dishes will make their way onto the menu depending on the whims and fancies of Lopez – vinegar pork trotters are on the horizon, along with the unexpected inclusion of Hakka lei cha. The decidedly green, tea-centric profile of the latter might seem unusual for a chef so closely associated with meat, but it turns out to be a more honest reflection of who he is. 'I love vegetables. I love vegetables,' he says, repeating himself with fervour. 'I can live without meat.' The serendipitous pork tendon ball noodle. — Picture by Choo Choy May The interview begins to veer off course at this point, as a friend – one of Lopez's longtime regulars – jumps in to reminisce about the time they first brought him to their regular lei cha spot in PJ Old Town six years ago. The mood turns rowdy as they recall how the stall's aunty took a particular shine to Lopez, expressing her affection with free soup and special treatment. 'The aunty liked him so much, you know,' the friend says, bounding over and gesturing wildly. 'She would be like, 'Eh, boy, you try this one. Less water, more greens.' Oi! I've been coming here for 30 years, never give me also!' For all his years in hotels and consulting for big restaurant groups, what Lopez values most now is something far simpler. 'I didn't open Ah Gan to complicate things,' he admits. 'I think of it as a canteen for industrial, working people. 'I never opened this place thinking of replicating any brand. Ah Gan is only a thing because, legally, I need to register the business with a brand. Otherwise, I would just operate without signage.' The name comes from both Lopez and his partner having the letters 'G', 'A' and 'N' in their names. Finally, in classic Lopez fashion, he isn't caught up in trying to aggressively market Ah Gan or even planning for the future. 'Mostly, I'm just going to take it one step at a time.' Lopez chatting with longtime regulars and old friends at Ah Gan. — Picture by Choo Choy May Wurst 15-G, Persiaran Ara Kiri, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur Open daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 012-423 4588 Instagram: @ Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Ah Gan 11-1, Persiaran Syed Putra 3, Taman Persiaran Desa, Kuala Lumpur Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm Tel: 012-423 4588 Instagram: @ahganseputeh * Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
