Nick Chase, Owner
Friendly Nick’s Butcher
Nick Chase is always looking to help people improve the quality of the meals they cook at home. It all started with a picnic in France as a foreign exchange student: Part of the meal was a fresh radish split into quarters and smeared with uber-rich French butter. Though he didn’t know it then, that was one of the defining moments of his life.
It started Nick on a journey that led him through one of the best culinary schools in the country, seven years of cooking in New York City and grueling years in world-renowned kitchens under internationally famous chefs. And still, that radish is more memorable than any dish he’s made or eaten. The French grew radishes, so they ate radishes; they raised cattle, so they churned butter. They cared about the land and animals, and it showed in that exquisitely simplistic flavor combination.
Nick knew he could take that philosophy of care and promote it through his own business. He started Friendly Nick’s Butcher to help bring people back to a way of eating that connects them to where their food comes from. Because the animals are eventually slaughtered and eaten, he is committed to sourcing meats through farmers that use humane and sustainable practices, and he uses his skills to create delicious food without wasting or disrespecting the animals’ lives.
Nick also believes that his employees’ quality of life is paramount to their happiness and that everyone should have access to high-quality meat. That’s why he began a charity program during the government shutdown to offer meat to families who lost their SNAP benefits. He continues the #meattheneed program to provide packages of meat to under-privileged families through his sons’ school.
