La Jolla residents have a new taste in town in the form of Homegrown Meats/La Jolla Butcher Shop.
The new shop is the work of partners Matt Rimel, Peter Morris, Dan Snyder and Jay Rehm, and is located at 7660 Fay Ave., Suite C, in the same shopping center as Zenbu Sushi Bar & Restaurant.
Rimel, who owns Zenbu and Rimel’s Rotisserie, said all of the meats will be grass-fed and will be from local family-owned farms.
Homegrown Meats is a back-to-basics butcher shop ” an old-school butcher shop with a modern, health-conscious twist where customers will find the highest quality custom meats and unique, personalized service.
Another plus for the new business is that all four partners have La Jolla connections. Rimel and Rehm were born and raised in La Jolla, while Snyder and Morris have lived and worked in town for 20-plus years.
“All of us are raising our families in the town we love,” Rimel said. “We all know that La Jolla is ready for, and appreciates, the highest quality meats, fish and produce we’ll be offering.”
Rimel and Morris said they believe the business will be successful because there are a lot of knowledgeable and conscientious folks in town, people who are aware of the benefits of local, hormone-free, grass-fed, organic and humane meats and produce.
“People who look for and appreciate foods that don’t necessarily come from a mega-farm or mega-store,” Rimel said. “We’re sort of a ‘meat boutique,’ carrying only the highest quality products. We’re going to be very dependent on availability, seasonality and quality.”
The shop will work with a handful of employees, not counting the ranchers and the growers, most of whom are local to San Diego.
“Incidentally, everyone behind the counter will be a full-on chef,” Rimel added.
Asked what message the partners would have for La Jollans, Rimel said that the four are really passionate about this business.
“It starts by supporting and partnering with the local ranchers and farmers who produce truly the finest meats and produce,” Rimel said. “Back in our parents’ and grandparents’ day, there were some really good, service-oriented butcher shops … but maybe not with our focus and dedication to providing the healthiest and most flavorful foods ” with the added emphasis on humane ranching and sustainability. These days, it takes some serious effort to do things the right way, and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
The business is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more about the new shop, visit www.homegrownmeats.com or call (858) 454-6328.