First

#Video | Avedano’s

One day last year I met a guy named Chris Arentz through a mutual friend. After a few informal meetings we learned that we were attending the same bachelor party. Since I had a car and he was to provide the banquet dinner for a large group of men hence necessitating his transport of a large amount of meat, it was decided that we would carpool up to Tahoe together. Chris asked if I could pick him up from his work on our way out of town to “make things way easier”. I obliged and took down the address. I arrived my first time to the Cortland corridor and parked directly in front of Avedano’s Holly Park Market. Chris looked at my car, assessed that it was of ample size disappeared into the wooden door meat locker and emerged with two large coolers filled with chicken parts and steaks that I logically surmised to amount to roughly 38 cows.

On our journey to Tahoe Chris shared with me his story of how he became a butcher, and the style of butchery which Avedano’s practices. It’s a small neighborhood butcher shop that specializes in whole animal butchery, using older techniques that evade modern machinery. I don’t know if it was my close proximity to him while he spoke of: his history as a butcher, or the art of butchery and charcuterie as a whole, but I was entranced. I had to film the story of this butcher shop.

At that moment I knew I had to tell the story of Avedano’s and others like it.

I only hope to have provided an accurate assessment of the attention to detail and passion which inspired the videos in the first place. And I hope to continue telling the stories of those who inspire others through their passion and craft.