By Chef, Writer, Farmer and Slow Food Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands member Tory Jackson
On Friday November 18th, Chef’s Alliance member Oliver Kienast of Wild Mountain Food & Drink, with the help of his Chef de Cuisine, Scott Wood and myself, Tory Jackson, demonstrated how to butcher a whole pig to the culinary students of Edward Milne Secondary School. The pig was raised locally in the Sooke region, allowing the high school culinary arts instructors, Steve Caryk and Patrick Gale, to monitor the pig’s growth and feed.
While butchering the pig into primal cuts for the classes, Chef Oliver highlighted the importance of purchasing and supporting locally grown produce and meats, thus promoting a strong message for sustainable breeding methods to the students. It was clear the students were captivated, engaged and a little engrossed with the process of butchery, as for most of them this was the first time to witness such an event.
The primal cuts will further be butchered into sub primal parts, and used in various preparations such as pulled pork, smoked bacon, pork chops, country hams, and sausages. These preparations will be served in “Pia’s Place” farm-to-table driven school cafe for students, teachers and the public to enjoy, continuing our relationship with our Slow Food school garden and culinary programme in Sooke, B.C.
