Back in August we participated in Protein University held at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. We were very excited about the experience but really did not know what to expect. We were participating as farmers and we're really just there to watch and learn. We donated one of our pigs and in return we stayed at the Grove Park Inn and got to meet chefs, butchers, writers and other farmers from across the United States.
Our Sunday afternoon began with meeting Brady Lowe, of Protein University along with some of the other farmers. He told us a little about Protein U and some of the other events he had worked with in the past year. That evening we met all the participants for the event. We also were served a delicious supper by the Grove Park Inn chefs. A lot of socializing and mingling went on and they also taped You Tubes clips.
On Monday morning we had breakfast at 9 am (I love these people- I'm usually up at 5:30am) and the chefs and butchers brainstormed about who was going to do what with each animal. They had a side of beef, 3 pigs, 4 lambs, 5 goats and 12 chickens- I hope I got those numbers correct.
We then got to go to one of kitchens and the fun began. It was amazing to watch these chefs and butchers working together and deciding what they wanted to do with the different animals. One of the main premises is whole animal utilization so when I say every part was utilized I mean very part was utilized!! It was amazing. We saw everything from techniques to sausage making to making bologna.
On Monday evening we enjoyed grilled pork and beef along with some of the GPI chefs specialities.....pickled vegetables, macaroni & cheese , bread pudding and more!
After supper we met on one of the terraces and haddiscussion time. I don't know what time they ended but it was after 1 AM before me and Lee headed to our room.
Sadly, we had to leave on Tuesday morning and get back to reality. We met so many people and hope that we are able to participate in something like this again!!
Thanks to the Grove Park Inn and especially the chefs and their staff.
Thanks to Brady & Anthony of Protein University for giving us the opportunity to participate.
Thanks to all the new friends that we met while we were there.
Please visit the Protein University website.
PROTEIN U is an online resource and video library created by a network of chefs and butchers all interactively sharing their skills. Our goal is to support responsible farms and promote heritage species of livestock. By creating an online resource populated by peers, we hope to develop a visual family tree of butchery techniques from across the globe. By entering one of our contests or uploading a video on YouTube, you are directly supporting farmers and businesses.
Learning more about whole animal utilization is a step in the right direction to sustainable living and respect for the animal. Join the conversation and help us create this community, share your techniques and learn from a network of passionate people in today’s food scene. Explore the website regularly as the content will be frequently updated. Connecting to our Facebook and Twitter is a great way to keep the pulse on new videos, events and contests.
Pictures posted on Facebook
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