Moo Moo

Growing up in rural Tennessee, one would be hard pressed to travel far without beholding a pasture of grass grazing cows. Even as an adult, I am reminded by my grandmother every now and then that as a child I fondly referred to any cow I saw as "my moo moo." As my grandparents raised cattle when I was young, I witnessed the process that began with a calf and wound up as a delicacy. I still love a good steak today.

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It is no secret that most Americans love beef. Not everyone of course, and I respect those that refrain from eating meat for whatever reason. There are valid reasons for staying away from our mooing friends, but today we are talking about beef. Demand for beef, or at least for the inexpensive variety, is so strong that the big beef industry employs practices that would make many think twice about partaking of their products. When enjoying a favorite cut of bovine, no one wants to consider all the antibiotics they give the cows, the crowded disease prone conditions - or the fact that their steak never saw, much less ate, a blade of grass. By the way, they are supposed to eat grass.

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There is an alternative to factory beef. In our push this year to offer locally and organically raised and farmed food, we have made some new friends. Josh and Kathy Gunn are the operators of Gourmet Pasture Beef, located in Springfield, Tennessee. These guys know their beef and are producing an excellent product. Their beef is pasture raised and pasture finished, organic, all natural, and dry aged. It tastes as good as it sounds. They have done a great job detailing the health benefits of their beef on their website, as well as their mission and other folks who use their product. I am excited to work with the Gunns! What a pleasure to know exactly whence your dinner comes - and that your tastes and health, as well as the conditions in which your entree was raised, were considered during the process - from their farm to our table.

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You can order products right off their website - or come see us! We will be serving Gourmet Pasture Beef's Flank steak and New York Strip steak, and a variety of other products from their farm will become regular fare on our menu for a long time to come. That is my moo moo!