Opinion: As a Denver Chef, I Care About Having Access to Locally Produced Meat

When I opened my restaurant Annette, one of the reasons I did so was to prepare food that honors producers, nourishes eaters and embodies craftsmanship. Superior Farms, and the local lamb farmers it supports, is the exact sort of producer I want to lift up, but this fall a misguided ballot initiative threatens to put this important local food source out of business.

Denver’s only slaughterhouse has been a staple of the Denver community for over seventy years, providing not only good jobs to its workers, but a pathway to employee ownership, which affords its 160 employees the rare ability to participate in the financial success of their company, well into their retirement years. These are the kinds of jobs we should be making more of, especially in the food system, and instead the measure on this year’s ballot seeks to eliminate them.

My culinary journey began uniting my passion for farming and cooking over a decade ago, first by working at a farm based B&B in Paonia and then founding a farm-to-table supper club while working on a farm in Carbondale. The journey from farm to plate has continued at Annette, where we have enjoyed showcasing lamb in the spring. One of our favorite ways to showcase lamb and local farmers is to simply braise a favorite cut of lamb and serve it over polenta and spring spinach (with an abundance of herbs!).

In service to my commitment to fighting to maintain sustainable, local meat sources for the Denver market, I have accepted the title of October’s “Lambassador” to Superior Farms, and I plan to use this platform to raise awareness of the dangers of Ordinance 309 and advocate for the preservation of Denver’s local food sources. We will be hosting a small private event at Traveling Mercies on October 16, so that we can discuss the potential effects of the ban and what it means for our local food scene.

Local chefs rely on local food sources to ensure that what they are serving is of the highest quality. But one important local food source is on the chopping block this year, if Denver voters decide to shut down their only local slaughterhouse through Ordinance 309.

Our local slaughterhouse — yes, there’s only one in Denver being targeted by this ban on “slaughterhouses” — has a crucial place in Denver’s food supply chain, keeping our food sources efficient and environmentally sustainable. No matter how you slice it, people in Denver will continue to eat meat. No chef I know wants to import their meat from further away than they have to in order to get it to the table, and no family wants that, either, for the meat they buy for home consumption. We don’t want to increase carbon emissions and make Denver’s food supply chain less sustainable, and we don’t want to eliminate the hardworking folks who supply us with that food.

Our local food scene is a family. We rely on each other to succeed. And when one of us is harmed, we all feel the impact. This ballot measure isn’t just about one company — it's about everyone who depends on the local meat supply chain or cares about local food. If this ban is passed, independent ranchers in Colorado lose a local processing facility, which means higher costs and longer transport times. And because Superior Farms is a 100 percent Halal-certified meat producer (Halal refers to the Muslim religious practice of ensuring humane treatment of the animal throughout its entire life cycle), the choices we have for sourcing our meat could be relegated to suppliers that possibly do not uphold the same humane treatment standards.

World-renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin consulted on the design of the Denver facility, and USDA inspectors are on site at all times to ensure that the highest standards are being met. That’s exactly the kind of quality consumers want when they look for their meat sources. The loss of this local processing facility would be a losing proposition for chefs, restaurants, workers and Denver residents.

Shutting down our local lamb slaughterhouse will do two things for certain: It will eliminate 160 employee-ownership stakes in a facility that’s taken great care and pride in its product, and it will drive up costs for consumers as they source their meat from farther away. By voting no, we can protect jobs, keep our local food economy strong, and ensure that Denver remains a place where businesses, workers and families can thrive.

In the weeks leading up to the November 5 election, Westword.com will continue publishing commentaries on the various ballot measures...both pro and con. Have one you'd like to submit? Send it to [email protected], where you can also comment on this piece.