There’s an unspoken rule among discerning local carnivores. If you want a really good cut of meat for any special occasion, stop by D’Arcy’s Meat Market.
As a St. Albert go-to destination since 1991, D’Arcy’s is an old school butcher shop with meat cutters dressed in white coats and aprons dispensing personalized service.
But these days owner-butcher Kyle Iseke, 33, has a contemporary vision: source and sell hormone-free, antibiotic-free, free-range, grass-fed meat.
His vision also includes maintaining the tradition of killing animals humanely and using as many parts as possible.
It’s a tall order, but it’s Iseke’s way of honouring the animals that feed us, reducing waste and moving towards a more sustainable future.
“My goal is not to make a lot of money. My goal is to sell a quality product,” says Iseke while grilling a steak on his smoker during a Gazette interview. And by "quality product," he means buying from producers that treat their stock well.
His principles on food consumption might surprise his client base.
“I think people should eat less, but of a higher quality. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to my business but it’s not. People are concerned about having a big T-bone on the plate, but I’d like to see people put less on the plate. We hear a lot about the environment and how much food we waste. If you eat a reasonable portion, you still get what you need without the heart disease.”
For customers who want to know where the cuts come from, how the animals were raised and what they ate, Iseke obliges with good old-fashioned know-how.
In fact, on the no-frills butcher shop’s feature wall behind a showcase is a chalkboard with a map of Alberta. About a dozen towns and counties are chalked out providing information on different farms raising the beef, pork, lamb, turkey and chickens he carries.
Although Iseke took the six-month introductory meat-cutting program at NAIT graduating in 2009, he learned the trade at the apron strings of his father – D’Arcy’s.
“I’ve been working since I was 12. I started sweeping and dish-washing. Then moved to the retail counter and when Dad opened a shop in Mission, I was boning out meat and making sausage.”
The elder Iseke first opened D’Arcy’s Meat Market in 1991 when his son was about six years old. The site was on Perron St. where the Grapevine Deli is located.
Like many butcher shops of the era, the floor was covered with woodchips and sawdust to absorb liquids. At the end of the day, dirty parts were swept up and fresh sawdust and woodchips replaced the old.
“The butcher shop was so cool, but the car was always full of wood chips,” laughs Iseke recalling past memories.
Although the business was located in St. Albert, the family lived on an acreage in Cardiff Echoes.
“Dad grew up on an acreage and he wanted to live on one. At that time the commute was 10 minutes. Today with all the lights on St. Albert Trail, it would be 30 or 40 minutes.”
Life in Cardiff Echoes meant tooling around with friends and driving to St. Albert for regular karate lessons at Desa School of Karate. Iseke rose through the ranks to become a sensei (teacher).
When asked to teach private lessons, the 19-year sensei’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he launched Iseke School of Karate. The Edmonton-based school, which to this day still teaches traditional Okinawan karate, was eventually sold to a student.
“I’m still a sensei. I still do it. I guess I just have a passion for it.”
During the school’s growth, Iseke was also an engineering student at the University of Alberta studying mining. But after two and one-half years of theory, the restless student had an epiphany.
“I remember it so well. I was in a calculus class and I’m thinking, ‘I’m miserable. And I don’t want to be miserable. I hate life. I’m studying all the time. I can’t do sports. I can’t see my girlfriend.’ I have no regrets about walking out of that classroom.”
Feeling at loose ends, Iseke returned to work at the family butcher shop. The elder Iseke wanted to shift his operations to catering. But the son expressed a desire to own his own butcher shop.
“When I cut meat, I feel relaxed,” said the younger Iseke. In 2004, with a prepayment plan from Dad, the 24-year old bought the business.
“When I first took over in Campbell Business Park location, I was only making $200 to $300 a day. I was the only employee. Then I hired a dishwasher. And then I hired a kid full-time to do retail.”
Although Iseke was a young business owner, he was sharp enough to develop a broad network of producers. His wife Danielle came from a farming family and the young couple lived outside Legal.
“Living in the country you meet farmers and you make all these wonderful connections. You meet potential suppliers and you get to know them personally.”
Growing the business during recessionary times hasn’t been easy, but every 10-hour day was worth it.
“I’m proud I had to pay for the business myself. This year I’m done. It’s great to know we came from a one to two person business to a 12 to 15-person business. And that’s due to loyal clientele. They’ve shown us loyalty, and it’s our job to exceed their expectations.”
With grilling season at the back door, he recommends choosing specific steaks for the barbecue.
“A good quality animal has lots of marbling. Not huge chunks of fat, but intra-muscular fat that makes it soft and tender.”
His top choices are: rib-eye, New York strip-loin, T-bone, top sirloin and beef tenderloin.
“These steaks are cut from the muscles in beef that are the least exercised. Muscles that are exercised a lot are harder.”
In the last five years, smokers have risen in popularity as the latest barbecue trend.
“Just drive around St. Albert and you can smell the smokers going.”
Pulled pork, smoked brisket or smoked ribs are very popular, in part due to the lower price of meat.
“With access to media, you can get how-to videos from all over the world. You just look for a recipe. Or people see it on TV and they want to try it.”
He also credits restaurants such as Edmonton’s Memphis Blues BBQ House and Smokehouse BBQ for fuelling the trend.
But Iseke notes that any stay-at-home grill master can barbecue a juicy medium rare steak with little fuss. Simply cook the steak to an internal temperature of 130 or 135 Fahrenheit. Add salt, pepper and enjoy.
Anyone wishing to obtain first-hand barbecuing tips can join Iseke at a Dig In Horticulinary Festival workshop on Sunday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. at the Enjoy Centre. Tickets are $30.
