The Quarter Butcher (7439 State Route N, Dardenne Prairie) is bringing a new concept to St. Charles County, with chef Ryan Sommerkamp using his butchery skills to break down whole animals and his culinary background to guide customers on home cooking techniques.
Co-owners Eleni and Ryan Sommerkamp grew up in St. Charles County, and they’re passionate about bringing craft butchery of locally sourced, sustainably raised animals to their home turf. Slated to open in late June, their new specialty shop will specialize in making use of every cut of beef, pork, and chicken through raw and smoked meat products. Here’s what to know before you go.
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The Team
Ryan admits he never considered where his meat came from before attending culinary school. “My passion for butchery started in class at L’Ecole Culinaire,” he says. “We had Pig Week, where we’d bring in a whole pig and, as a class, we’d break it down. I loved it. That was my favorite week of my whole schooling.”
His instructors encouraged him to follow up on his newfound interest at Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions. The young chef contacted the shop every month until there was finally a part-time opening a decade ago. Ryan’s culinary background also includes working as a chef in several of Gerard Craft’s restaurants, where he gained invaluable knowledge of cooking techniques that he intends to share with The Quarter Butcher’s customers.
“Giving customers the ‘why’ will be important for selling our whole-animal product,” he explains. For example, beef heart can be very tough, so home cooks will get better results from braising than cooking it at high heat.
Eleni plans to capture those lessons in videos for the shop’s website and social media feeds—one of the many innovations that she is planning. “Ryan has the hands-on skills needed to execute the butcher shop,” she says. “I’m really passionate about how the puzzle pieces of the business fit together and about building connections within our community.”
A scientist with a degree in biochemistry, Eleni manages a portfolio of products for the chemical manufacturing company MilliporeSigma. Her extensive experience establishing industry partnerships is already leading to connections within the food ecosystem in St. Charles County. For example, The Quarter Butcher is already in talks with the innovative Field to Table Institute at St. Charles Community College about incorporating the produce its farmers raise and welcoming students interested in butchery into the shop.
The Atmosphere
The Sommerkamps were able to design their shop from the ground up, and they were intentional about its key features. One is the display case, set off by custom shelving and countertops. The other is a giant window into the cut room where Ryan and his team will break down whole animals and cut meats to order.
“The window is the feature we’re most excited about,” Eleni says. It will allow customers to watch the butchers at work and demonstrates the Sommerkamps’ commitment to transparency. Unlike high-capacity meat processing facilities that slaughter on site and use band saws to create cuts that may encompass multiple muscle groups, Ryan will focus on seam butchery, working with the natural seams between muscles. This yields a variety of steaks and other cuts that wouldn’t be found in a typical bulk beef bundle.
The Quarter Butcher’s whole-animal approach is unique in St. Charles County. “We’ll break down the animal, so we can use every part of it and get the most value out of every single muscle group,” Ryan explains. “That’s something that is not typically done at other butcher shops.”
Eleni adds that whole-animal butchery extends to other products as well. For instance, Ryan will be making bone broth, beef tallow, and even dog treats, all of which will be available in the shop, too.
“Everything we carry will be local and transparent,” Ryan says. “We want people to ask anyone behind the counter questions about the origin and what the animal was fed.”
The Meats
The Quarter Butcher has agreements in place for beef from Price Family Farms in Troy, Missouri; pork from Newman Farms; and poultry from Buttonwood Farms. Eventually, they plan to add other meats, including turkey during the holidays, and Ryan says they’re already fielding requests for emu as a beef alternative.
A sign next to the display case will show additional cuts that are available. Eleni emphasizes that custom cuts and special orders are also welcome. “If you don’t see what you want, you can ask for it, and we’ll go back and prepare it,” she says.
Another option will be large-scale orders of a quarter or half a cow. The Sommerkamps are working on ways to help customers overcome the potential barrier of having enough freezer space for a large amount of meat. “We have some ideas for storage that we want to explore,” Eleni says.
Initially, The Quarter Butcher will primarily stock fresh raw meats, with a selection of prepared, ready-to-eat options such as smoked meats. “We have many ideas on how to grow later,” Ryan says. “We will let the business dictate which way we go.”
As they near completion on the space buildout and all of the inspections to follow, the Sommerkamps say they hope to announce an official opening date via social media soon.
📍7439 State Route N, Dardenne Prairie
⏰ 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Wed–Sat, TBD Sun
