Tag Archives: Nathan Anda

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Red Apron Butchery Wins Good Food Award

Photo courtesy of laura padgett
glover park farmers’ market 7.10.10 – 32
courtesy of laura padgett

Locavores rejoice: Red Apron Butchery has been awarded a 2012 Good Food Award in the charcuterie category. Red Apron, a creation of Neighborhood Restaurant Group, was the DC area’s only 2012 finalist and winner out of approximately 1,000 submissions.

The Good Food Awards, started two years ago, honor “tasty, authentic, and responsible” foods in eight different categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves and spirits. Winners of Good Food Awards must adhere to certain standards, including no usage of artificial ingredients and no usage of synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or GMO foods. The Good Food Awards honor artisans from across the country who focus on honoring traditions and cultures through food, as well as local ingredients and sustainable practices.

Chef Nathan Anda accepted the award for his crème de cochon, a whipped lardo made from Ossabaw-Red Wattle crossbreed (that’s a type of hog, for you laymen) with garlic, coarse black pepper, rosemary and sel gris. Anda and Red Apron’s crème de cochon beat out 11 other butcheries who competed in the category.

While you can find Red Apron’s cuts of meat and other products at various farmer’s markets or at Planet Wine Shop in Alexandria, the butchery is planning on opening a location in downtown DC later this year.

Food and Drink, Interviews, The Features
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He Loves DC: Nathan Anda of Red Apron

Nathan High Res

So I’ve been trying to cut back on my meat intake. Well, that is, until I met Nate Anda of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Red Apron Butchery. Anda shattered my dreams of a meat-free existence and replaced them with ridiculously delicious beef jerky and charcuterie. Every cured meat I tried from his line made me love pork. I was able to whip up pizzas, salads, cheese and breads.

I met Anda at the Dupont Circle Farmer’s market, and he loaded me up with recommendations, pointing out stalls with his favorite product pairings. I rushed home to try them and haven’t looked back since. His products are impeccable, and I couldn’t wait to talk to Anda about why meat, why DC and what he loved about them both.

Katie: How long have you lived in the DC area?
Nathan: Since January 2002

What is the best thing about DC, in your opinion?
Its a smaller city than New York and LA. It’s easy to get around, and I almost always run into somebody I know when I’m not planning on it (that can be good and bad I guess), and DC gets great concerts!

What would you change about DC if you could?
I can’t stand the traffic.

What inspired you to create Red Apron?
I have always had an appreciation for using local farmers and getting in the whole animal and finding ways to utilize everything. Michael Babin (owner of Neighborhood Restaurant Group) and I toyed with the idea of a butcher shop about 5 years ago and once EatBar opened, the menu was really meat/charcuterie based; that’s when the real research and development took place. After traveling to Italy a couple years back and seeing the salumerias and macelerias, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Continue reading →