Category

Beef

Standing Out with Center of the Plate Options

By | Beef, Grilling Essentials, Meats, Pork, Seafood, What Chefs Want

As a chef, your creativity knows no bounds when it comes to crafting unique and unforgettable dishes. To help you take your culinary creations to the next level, we’ve gathered a selection of ingredients from What Chefs Want and shared some ideas to help you think of these ingredients in a new way. Let’s explore how you can incorporate these exceptional ingredients into your menu to inspire and delight your customers while discovering their unique qualities.

16 oz. Bone-in Kansas City Strip (Item #05573)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Savory Bone Marrow Butter”

Let’s begin with the 16 oz. Bone-in Kansas City Strip, a prime cut that boasts unparalleled tenderness and taste. Aged to perfection for an average of 28 days, this steak offers a depth of flavor that’s revered by chefs worldwide. What sets it apart is the bone, which remains intact, infusing the meat with a richer, deeper flavor cherished by steak lovers everywhere.

To celebrate this exceptional steak, try creating a “Savory Bone Marrow Butter.” Roast the bone until the marrow is rich and luscious, then whip it into softened butter, adding fresh herbs and a touch of lemon zest for brightness. Serve a dollop on top of a perfectly grilled Kansas City Strip to elevate the flavor profile and provide a melt-in-your-mouth experience.

Laguna Blanca Salmon Fillet (COMING SOON!)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Patagonian Salmon Crostini with Avocado Cream”

Our next stop takes us to Region XII Magallanes in Patagonia, where the Laguna Blanca Salmon Fillet hails from. This antibiotic-free salmon stands out for its eco-friendliness, produced with notably less impact on the wild fish population, and is BAP and ASC certified. The Laguna Blanca salmon is raised on an algae diet which ensures it is a rich source of omega-3s, making it not only delicious but also healthy. This salmon offers exceptional quality for its price.

To showcase the unique qualities of this salmon, consider preparing “Patagonian Salmon Crostini with Avocado Cream.” Start by gently searing thin slices of the salmon fillet to highlight its buttery texture. Then, serve the salmon atop crostini spread with a silky avocado cream, garnished with microgreens and a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil. This elegant and fresh dish highlights the salmon’s impeccable quality and its eco-friendly origin, making it a delightful addition to your menu.

8oz Creekstone Burger Patties (Item #00258)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Balsamic Glazed Bacon Burger”

Our culinary adventure now turns to the 8oz Creekstone Burger Patties. These all-natural patties come from humanely-raised, vegetarian-fed cattle, and they are free from antibiotics, hormones, additives, and artificial ingredients. What sets them apart beyond just the quality of the beef, is the high-tech patty machine we use in-house to create the patties, which guarantees a tender, handcrafted bite every time.

To create a gourmet burger experience, try a “Balsamic Glazed Bacon Burger.” Brush these all-natural patties with a balsamic glaze while grilling, then top them with crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and creamy goat cheese. Serve on a toasted brioche bun for a burger that’s a testament to quality and craftsmanship.

16 oz. Centercut Pork Loin Chop (Item #05680)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Porterhouse Pork with Apple Chutney”

Our next destination is the 16 oz. Centercut Pork Loin Chop. This exquisite cut captivates guests with its presentation while remaining affordable. The center-cut porterhouse blends loin and tenderloin for an elevated dining experience. Expertly carved in-house daily, this chop promises both luxury and value.

To create a conversation starter on your menu, prepare “Porterhouse Pork with Apple Chutney.” Grill the center-cut pork loin chop to perfection and serve it with a side of homemade apple chutney. The sweet and tangy chutney complements the savory pork, creating a delightful contrast of flavors that makes your guests feel they’re dining at a five-star establishment.

Red Grouper, Skin-on Fillet (Item #48046)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Citrus-Herb Grouper en Papillote”

Our journey now takes us to the world of seafood with the Red Grouper, Skin-on Fillet. This fillet is part of our Boat Direct Program, which champions small fishermen and ensures a 48-hour delivery from catch to you. Managed sustainably against overfishing, it’s heralded as a ‘Good Alternative’ by Seafood Watch.

To make the most of this clean-eating fish, try “Citrus-Herb Grouper en Papillote.” Wrap the red grouper fillet in parchment paper with slices of citrus, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil. Steam it to perfection, allowing the flavors to meld inside the pouch. The result is a clean, flavorful, and visually stunning dish that showcases the grouper’s delicate taste.

Shrimp 16/20 PD Tail-on (Item #48642)

Unique Preparation Idea: “Saffron and Garlic Shrimp Risotto”

Our final destination is the Shrimp 16/20 PD Tail-on, peeled and deveined to retain their elegant tails. These raw shrimp are known for their versatility, consistently delighting guests across a range of dishes.

To showcase these shrimp, consider preparing a “Saffron and Garlic Shrimp Risotto.” Incorporate the succulent shrimp into a creamy saffron and garlic risotto. The shrimp’s natural sweetness and elegant presentation with tails intact will impress your diners, making this dish a standout on your menu.

With these premium ingredients from What Chefs Want, you have the opportunity not only to create exceptional dishes but also to share their unique stories and features with your customers.

To make your menu shine and get the most bang for your buck, talk to your customer advocate. They’re experts at enhancing your existing center-of-the-plate offerings. Whether you’re looking to add variety, improve value, or simply elevate your menu, they’ve got you covered. It’s all about aligning our premium products with your unique menu needs to create delightful dining experiences. Don’t miss out—reach out to them today and let’s make your menu even more amazing!

Burger Week, Local Sourcing and Inspiration: A Q&A with Catherine of Naïve and Nostalgic

By | Beef, Chef's Feed, Farm To Table, Local, Vegetables, What Chefs Want

With Cincinnati’s Burger Week wrapping up, and Louisville’s Burger Week ramping up, we are paying tribute to America’s beloved sweetheart – the Hamburger! This week we are featuring Louisville restaurants Naïve and Nostalgic Cocktail House, which have two different burgers featured for Louisville’s Burger Week.

We spoke with Catherine Mac Dowall, owner and operator of Naïve and Nostalgic. Catherine began her career in the restaurant industry over 16 years ago, working her way up the ladder from hostess, line cook and every job in between to becoming an Operations Manager for Michelin Star and James Beard Award-winning Chef Jose Andres. Catherine brought her passion for culinary excellence to Louisville in 2016, opening Naïve, starting as just a concept at a 10X10 tent at a farmers market. From its humble beginnings, Naïve has flourished into a thriving enterprise, including catering, wholesale services, and the brick-and-mortar restaurant. In February of this year, Catherine opened her second restaurant, Nostalgic. She is soon to be featured in a CNN documentary put on by Bobby Flay, so keep your eye out for Catherine!

WCW: Your menus at Nostalgic and Naïve are incredibly diverse. What makes something like Burger Week exciting to you?

This is our first burger week and we are excited about it! We’ve had a ton of success during Restaurant Week and Burger Week seemed like another opportunity to introduce ourselves to people who haven’t made it here yet. It’s a great approachable way for new people to experience us.

WCW: Can you tell us about any unique burger ingredients or flavor combinations that you’ll be featuring during Louisville Burger Week?

At Naïve we are featuring a really unique burger. It has two beef patties, a yuzu koshu aioli, basil relish and a ton of mozzarella cheese, all on a homemade sesame potato roll.  

At Nostalgic we are featuring a classic burger – our Smash Burger. It has two lacey thin beef patties with seared onions smashed into them, American cheese and burger sauce on a homemade sesame potato roll. It is such a classic burger, but the quality of the ingredients really make it special. It is one of our most popular menu items.

WCW: How important is the sourcing of meat for your burger creations, and what factors do you consider when selecting the best quality beef for your patties?

We just started serving beef at Naïve this year. We served nearly every other type of protein and our customer base was asking for it. We have always sourced very sustainably at the restaurant, using as many local ingredients as we possibly can to put really great seasonal dishes on the menu. So, when we added beef, working with Berry Beef and knowing they are local was important to us.
We brought that same philosophy to our new restaurant as well. I put a huge emphasis on doing things the right way, and the right way for me is supporting the local community.


Berry Beef is a cooperative model developed by Kentucky farmers to provide chefs and institutions with a consistent supply of regionally-raised beef.

Berry Beef cattle are raised on pasture their entire lives, eating a blend of grass and locally-grown grains. This produces the well-marbled cuts your customers love, while maintaining high animal welfare and environmental standards. Berry Beef is distributed exclusively through What Chefs Want to cities across the country.

Search Berry Beef in the app or item #26695


WCW:  Seeing how much you love local food, are there any specific local ingredients or flavors from Kentucky that you love to showcase?

We are currently obsessed with sorghum. It’s a really intriguing ingredient and so versatile!

You can find sorghum in Nostalgic’s Weisenberger Grits, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Grilled Broccolini, and Sweet Tea Fried Chicken. You can also find sorghum on some of Naïve’s tasting menus.

If you are shopping the What Chefs Want app and are interested in sorghum, you can find Bourbon Barrel Foods Pure Cane Sweet Sorghum with item #93514

WCW:  Do you have a personal favorite burger combination or flavor profile that you always go for when you go out to eat?

It really depends on the mood I’m in. If I’m looking for something that is that comforting, I gravitate towards something I’ve had and know, but if I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll reach for something with ingredients that I’m not as familiar with or something where the preparation is unique.

WCW: Who are some of your biggest culinary inspirations?

My old boss, Jose Andres is a huge inspiration to me, not only for his culinary background, but for his business acumen. I truly admire him!

It’s hard to pinpoint a singular person or restaurant. With everyone online and at our fingertips, we can really see and explore what other restaurants and chefs are doing anywhere in the world. It never used to be that way.

I do love going out to the West Coast and trying all the different restaurants throughout LA. Gjelina Group is such a staple in LA and Rustic Canyon was doing some really interesting things that we pull inspiration from as well.

WCW: How do you stay innovative and ahead of the curve?

I believe in not taking your foot off the gas, because once you do, someone is right behind you to pass you. Always try to be creative, reinvent yourself and push your comfort zone and your customers comfort zones!

Learn More

Both Naïve and Nostalgic are open six days a week and have menus that change seasonally.

To visit their websites, peruse their menus and see their business hours, visit:

https://www.eatnaive.com/

https://www.eatnostalgic.com/

Item of the Day:  Berry Beef Ground Beef

By | Beef, Chef's Feed, Farm To Table, Grilling Essentials, Item of the Day, Local, Meats, The Butchery, What Chefs Want

Berry Beef Ground Beef

Berry Beef, named after poet and agrarian philosopher Wendell Berry, is committed to good animal and land stewardship, and to farmers getting paid a livable wage for their hard work. Our dry-aged Angus beef is raised and processed humanely in Henry County, Kentucky. Our farms raise animals on grass and finish them on grain according to standards set by the Berry Center.

 Item 26695 – 2/5 Lb Case


I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade.”

-Wendell Berry, What Are People For?

Item of the Day: Black Hawk Ground Beef

By | Beef, Chef's Feed, Grilling Essentials, Item of the Day, Local, Meats, The Butchery, What Chefs Want

Black Hawk Ground Beef

Black Hawk Farms is a fourth generation family farm in Western Kentucky. Their cattle are traditionally born and raised on pasture and then grain-finished using white corn, rye hay and soft red winter wheat – that they grow on their farm, free of antibiotics or hormones.

They use an eco –friendly compost barn which eliminates any negative impact to the environment. The compost barn utilizes sawdust from a local saw mill combined with what would become animal waste to create a superior mulch-like organic fertilizer that is then recycled on the farm.

This Kentucky Proud product is changing the way cattle are raised East of the Mississippi and we are pleased to offer our customers a fantastic local beef option. Through this partnership we are able to eliminate about 1,000 miles of carbon footprint!

Item 55361 – 2/5LB Case 

Item of the Day: Chorizo Iberico Salami

By | Appetizers, Beef, Charcuterie, Chef's Feed, Gourmet, Ham, Item of the Day, Local, Local and Specialty, Meats, What Chefs Want

Chorizo Iberico Salami

The classic Spanish smoked paprika rubbed dry-cured salami gets an extra dose of flavor. This is no run-of-the-mill chorizo. It’s made from the legendary Iberico breed of Pata Negra (black-hoofed) pigs, a breed famous for its high-quality intramuscular fat, which makes the meat prized for its buttery, melt-in-the-mouth flavor and texture. With a great flavor and amazing texture.

Item 95028 – 4/3 lb. case

Item of the Day: Toscano Salami from Molinari & Sons

By | Appetizers, Beef, Charcuterie, Chef's Feed, Gourmet, Ham, Item of the Day, Local, Local and Specialty, Meats, What Chefs Want

Toscano Salami from Molinari & Sons

A tangy all pork salame, coarsely chopped with traditional flavor and stuffed in E-Z peel casings.


Producer Bio: P.G. Molinari is a name that has meant excellence in Italian salame and sausage for over 100 years. Founded in 1896, Molinari & Sons has carried on the traditional Italian art of sausage-making in the cool climate of San Francisco. Through four generations, the Molinari family has provided Americans with the finest in salames and Italian sausages of all types. As a family-owned business, P.G. Molinari and Sons continues the tradition of quality products and service.

Item 95030 – 5 lb. avg.

Item of the Day: Beef Pepperoni from Turchetti’s

By | Appetizers, Beef, Charcuterie, Chef's Feed, Gourmet, Ham, Item of the Day, Local, Local and Specialty, Meats, What Chefs Want

Beef Pepperoni from Turchetti’s

Origin: Indianapolis, Indiana
100% organic pastured Certified Angus Beef from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pizza perfect with the casing kept on or the perfect snack. Seasoned with toasted black peppercorns, Sicilian fennel seed, pimenton dulce, garlic, organic turbinado sugar, and chili flake.

Item 25881 – 2/4 lb. avg. case

Item 00599 – 4 lb. each

Make sure Dad has the best for Father’s Day! Black Hawk Farms American Wagyu Beef

By | Beef, Chef's Feed, Farm To Table, Local, Local and Specialty, Meats, The Butchery, What Chefs Want
Black Hawk Farms produces the best quality American Wagyu Beef possible by following long-standing traditions and going back to the basics. 100% Kentucky Proud Beef from Black Hawk Farms is grass fed and grain finished. No hormones or antibiotics are ever used. Born, raised, grazed, finished and processed all in a 24 mile radius in Princeton, Kentucky.

Striploin

Item 05463

9-15 lbs. each

While supplies last.


Ribeye Lipon

Item 05471

15 lbs. avg.

While supplies last.

Item of the Day: Beef Summer Sausage from Usinger’s

By | Beef, Charcuterie, Chef's Feed, Hors d'oeuvre, Item of the Day, Meats, Products, Retail Ready, Snack Foods, What Chefs Want

Beef Summer Sausage

This traditional, Old World summer sausage is only made with lean, choice, coarsely ground beef and seasoned “just right”. Slowly smoked over hardwood slabs in our old-fashioned brick smokehouses for two days to bring out the robust flavor and an irresistible tantalizing aroma. Just one bite tells the story of generations of sausage making “know how” in this exceptional semi-dried summer sausage.

Item 95099 – 1.5 lb avg.