Be a Deer and Hand Me My Boning Knife

Deer God!

Last Sunday, A. & I attended a venison butchery demonstration at Parkdale’s very own Cowbell, courtesy of Chef Mark Cutrara & his in-house butcher & breadmaker Ryan Donovan (formerly Head Babe, I mean.. Butcher, at the Healthy Butcher on Queen West). We were on our best behaviour (not), as Mark had warned us beforehand that not only the National Post would be there, but Global News would be as well. Fortunately for the gentlemen attendees, my best behavior included my best see-through black dress.

Fresh from our bacon-inspired photo shoot, A. & I grabbed a cab over to Parkdale to get the party started. Like a herd of eager cattle, Cutrara & Donovan led us (and the television cameras) down to the basement where all the magic takes place.; there lay the New Zealand Red deer that Donovan would take apart from head to toe. While this certainly wasn’t the first naked body I had in front of me that weekend, it was definitely the most beautiful.

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Head Babe Ryan Donovan started with the neck, a job he usually hands down to his apprentices (A. not withstanding, to date his only apprentice to wear shortie shorts under her apron). Working with both his hands and his boning knife, Donovan proceeded to debone & rip apart the beauty’s flesh with ease, while I stood by wishing he’d do the same to my dress (Kidding, D. I know you love your wife!). Both Donovan & Cutrara answered our questions with ease, not only from the media but from the other 8 or so “commonfolk” in attendance; most being home chefs & other interested parties. Cutrara was adamant about explaining uses for each part (including using the bones for stock), so that by the end of it all typically <1% of the animal received at Cowbell would go to waste. That evening, the waste bowl contained 3.3% of the animal’s 90lbs. Donovan shook his head, rooting around the bowl for useable collagen & meat scraps to be made into sausages (or into ground venison that we lucky ducks would take home wrapped in butchers paper).

Two mouth-watering hours, and one ten minute interview with Global TV later featuring yours-truly, we were coralled upstairs where we were presented with a pint & some  charcuterie, crostini, and pickled veg (all made in-house). I hung out in my mink hat in the basement with A. while she cleaned Donovan’s boning knives. We chatted with our fellow attendees, including Carrie Oliver, while snacking on lardo and sipping out beer; revelling in what we had just witnessed before our very eyes.

Afterwards, we kidnapped one of Cowbell’s most knowledgeable servers for a night on the town at the Dakota Tavern, where we proceeded to hand out raw hunks of venison to unknowing strangers after one-too-many mint juleps. Ending the evening at 4:30am over a bowl of vegan tomato soup at the Lakeview Lunch, A. & I were still as drunk as we were high from the whole experience. Thanks again Mark. C for a spectacular evening. You, my deer, are a real fucking treat.

For a link to the National Post article, written by Lia Grainger, click here.

For a link to my see-thru dress featured on Global News, click here.

For information on Cowbell’s next butchery demonstration, please contact them at (416) 849-1095, or follow Mark Cutrara on Twitter.

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