Butchers of Distinction
A good neighbourhood should not be without a good butcher shop.
Until 2013 that neighbourhood was Riverside – a community in Toronto’s east end that now fully appreciates the wonderful food and prepared meats local brought to them by Butchers of Distinction.
“My favourite thing about running a business in Riverside is the support we receive from people in the neighbourhood,” says partner and head butcher Robert Mee. “We’ve been here for five years and seeing the same faces since day one makes us proud.”
Robert says Butchers of Distinction specializes in whole animal butchery, done right in the shop – proper old-school style. While the Queen Street East butcher features a variety of Ontario meats, Robert says the dry aged steaks are the most popular, along with their sausages as they are making close to 400 pounds a week now.
This butcher shop got its name through the original partners, because as Robert says “We do things differently here.” It is a proper old school butchers shop.
In addition to supplying Riverside residents (and restaurants) with the best meats in Ontario, Butchers of Distinction also supports the local community in many other ways through fundraising, donating to auctions and by building relationships with other businesses in the neighbourhood.
“The sense of community is strong here and it’s very important for us to be a part of that,” says Robert.
Karen Lloyd is a writer, photographer and website designer in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood. This blog is part of the series Riverside Business Profile. Read other blogs from her: Riverside Patios, Places to Stay in Riverside, Brunch Spots, Health & Wellness in Riverside, Kid-Friendly Riverside, Event & Catering Spots, Riverside Chefs, Self-Care in Riverside, It’s Easy Being Green in Riverside, The Dirt on Gardening in Riverside, Eat Around the World in Riverside, and Saying ‘I Do’ East of the Don.