The mission of AGED Butchery is to bring a modern version of the traditional whole animal butcher shop to the Los Angeles area. Our aim is to develop relationships with local California farmers that practice raising animals responsibly and humanely on pasture as nature intended. And when ready, harvested at abattoirs with similar humane practices. We bring the whole animals to the shop, and then do our part, the butchering, utilizing every part of the animal from nose to tail, offals and all. Our philosophy is to respect the sacrifice of the animals we harvest, and do our best to promote a more sustainable food system. From traditional uses of various cultures to coming up with creative modern culinary uses, we can minimize waste and do our lessed any more damage to our environment already imposed by the industrialized farming industry. Aging is an extra final application we believe in to take our meats to the next level. As with life...
the AGED butcher
Eagle Yu has always been fascinated with the culinary world, with an especial affinity for PORK. His obsession began soon after college when he could really afford to explore various cuisines. And through his explorations he started to notice how versatile pork can be regardless of the cuisine or culture. It is truly the world's most indiscriminate meat! He researched as much as he could about the glorious pig. Sadly, along with all the beauty he discovered about the porcine world, he also learned the ugly truth of how dirty, and greedy the U.S. food industry has become. So in 2012, he came to a crossroads with his career in the entertainment digital media industry, and decided to take the opportunity to do something he was passionate about, something to right the culinary world to the best of his ability. In early 2013, Eagle left the life he knew in L.A., and drove across the country with his English bulldog, Booty, to Kingston, NY where he was accepted to the apprenticeship program at Fleisher's Grass-Fed and Organic Meats (now Fleisher's Pasture-Raised Meats). The apprenticeship introduced him to a new order of butchers trying to revive the craft of whole animal butchery. They advocated for the importance of getting back in touch with farmers that raise animals humanely and out on pasture, without pumping them full of antibiotics and hormones. They opened his eyes to the importance of knowing where your meat (and food in general) comes from, and understanding how institutions have bastardized labels such as 'organic', 'natural', and 'free range'. Through the apprenticeship, he learned about the characteristics of different breeds of animals and their distinct taste, and practiced whole animal butchery by utilizing every part--from nose to tail--in order to work towards a more sustainable food system.
After he completed the program, he was offered to stay at Fleisher's to take over as the head butcher for their flagship Kingston shop. But he ultimately decided to return to L.A., armed with his new knowledge and skill set. In the spring of 2014, he started AGED as a forum to share information about butchery, sources for pork (of course!) and other whole animals, sell cuts of meat from animals he personally sourced from local farms, and share recipes. Most recently, AGED has grown from a small community forum to the local farmers markets (in conjunction with Luis' Butcher Shop) where they sell cuts from whole animals raised by local farms that share the same philosophies as AGED. Eagle will continue to expand AGED into more farmers markets, and hopes to eventually transition it to his own brick and mortar shop one day... soon.
