Butcher Brad Knaub and his business partner, fishmonger Erik Williams, are betting that people today would like to shun the larger stores and buy fresh meat and fish from a store that specializes in those items. With that in mind, the two opened Carnivore in Oak Park on August 23.
Williams says the store leaves out the extras found in a supermarket, leaving the duo free to concentrate on preparing the fish, meat, and produce correctly. Both men have worked in the food industry for decades, and are familiar with farm-to-table cooking, foraging, and charcuterie.
At the fish counter, shoppers will find black-fin tuna, monkfish, and wild-caught flounder, available in rotation, while the meat counter sells Berkshire pork belly, Amish chickens, and steaks cut by hand. The shop also sells ready-to-eat dishes like duck confit, fishcakes, terrines made from scratch, and salmon smoked in-house.
Just a few days before their planned opening, Carnivore's owners launched a Kickstarter campaign to buy refrigerators, and soon raised $8,700, with most donations coming from area residents, showing Oak Park's commitment to the new venture and fresh food.
Carnivore's owners could work with a flyer printing company to create a daily list of what is available in the shop, and catalog printing could also help the store to promote the full range of its offerings.
