The Local Pig butcher shop in Kansas City recently got some attention from the New York Times for their hands-on meat processing class. The class, offered in the city's East Bottoms area, gives participants the opportunity to become more familiar with cuts of meat and the art of butchery.
Alex Pope opened the Local Pig a year ago. Students only pay $100 to take the class and get to take home at least 10 pounds of fresh meat.
Pope enjoys connecting students with the "lost trade" and keeps his classes educational with a laid-back, social spirit.
Meat cutting demonstrations became popular in the late 2000s in coastal states, but have recently been popping up in cities as close as Chicago and Milwaukee.
"One of the most surprising things has been Mr. Pope’s clientele. Kansas City is a meat
metropolis, both in terms of its famous barbecue and the proximity of ranchers and
outdoorsmen more intimately familiar with its source. So rather than attracting just
food tourism’s classic archetype, the hipster or yuppie in search of one-off adventure,
he often caters to people interested in actually applying his art — everyone from deer
hunters to nouveau back-to-the-landers with their own swine."
Click here to check out the original story posted by the New York Times.
