Our Story
History
We were raising some of the tastiest hogs in the country. We were managing our pastures like few were doing in the world, and in doing so, creating well-marbled grass-fed beef year round. And we had the support of our community. What we needed was a butcher shop that was committed to whole animals, one that would expertly cut out the bavette, picanha, and denver steaks; one that would make terrines and braunschweiger, mortadella and guanciale.
And since no one else was gonna do it, and because we're the stubborn farming type, we did it ourselves. Better yet, we were gonna do it in our community. We weren't going to compromise on farming practices, or on flavor, or on creativity. We were gonna make nduja from pigs across the street and serve it up to our neighbors.
Four years later, we are the only whole animal butchery and charcuterie shop in the Triangle. We've started the only (as far as we know) mobile butcher shop in the country, made countless charcuteries, beautiful roasts, soups and sausages. We've opened a second location, Alimentari, in the Transfer Co. Food Hall in downtown Raleigh for expanded access to folks in the triangle. Post-pandemic we hope to return to free cooking classes every month, butchery classes every few months, and farm picnics throughout the year.
We're confident that you won't find another shop quite like ours. We are dedicated to sustainable farming, to the craft of butchery, the art of charcuterie, and to making this amazing food accessible to our neighbors.
Our Team
Ross Flynn (owner, butcher)
As Doc, owner of Braeburn Farm, likes to say, “he didn’t know the front end from the ass end of a cow when he showed up.” But Doc gave him a job anyway, and for five years Ross worked at Braeburn and Cane Creek Farm, learning everything from grazing strategies to carcass qualities. At some point, Ross started butchering and making charcuterie at The Eddy. Time on the farm gave way to time in the kitchen (he could do less damage with dead animals than with live ones), and a few years later, Left Bank Butchery was hatched.
Hands down, this shop would not exist without the support of our friends and community. Their dedication to sustainable food and our project (often by volunteering or working below their deserved pay) is proof to us that creating an alternative food system is the work of the entire community. Here is but a short list of the folks that helped make our business possible:
Those responsible for the coolest butcher shop: Peter and BRW (best builders ever), Matthew and Jim (architects), Torey (artist), Meg and Duncan (logos and sign), Anna (scary 21st-century things), and K.C., Eliza and Jon for your guidance on all matters (we’re in bacon debt forever).
A few of the Saxapahaw visionaries: Doug, Claire, Heather and Tom (Haw River Ballroom), Jeff, Cameron, and Mac.
The fellow food community in Saxapahaw- Isaiah and the whole Eddy team, Lisa and the Village Bakehouse studs, the General Store Crew, and Haw River Alers Ben and Dawnya (your like-minded insanity comforts us).
To the farmers that make our job (and every other food profession) worth doing: Doc, Eliza, Liz, and a hundred others.
And to all the weird folks that make Saxapahaw a beautiful place to live.