IN RARE COMPANY

COMPANY In rare

Yorkville’s dining scene adds fresh meat — literally — with the addition of Kendall Meat Company

By Kevin Druley | Photos provided by Kendall Meat Co.

Committed to conveying their butcher shop’s diverse selection, the brass behind Kendall Meat Company chose a hashtag that goes the whole hog. If they haven’t already, visitors to the store or its Facebook page figure to become familiar with #morethanjustmeat. Co-owner TJ Banning explains. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, there’s a butcher shop or a meat market, so they’re just going to have beef,’” he says. “But we want people to know that we are more than just meat. We have chicken and pork, of course, but we have the seafood and we have coffee, the fresh cheeses, the pickles, the vegetables. This summer, we’ll have sweet corn. This fall, we’re going to have apples. So more of a minimarket kind of thing.” Many customers have relished in the array of choices since Kendall Meat Company opened in February. Amy Nelson of Oswego first tried Kendall Meat Company after learning of its seafood options. Now she finds herself returning routinely to explore the rest of the store. “I’ve tried a little bit of everything,” Nelson says. “Their smoked salmon is really good. We are obsessed with their moonshine barbecue fillets. None of the other butchers around the area or even the stores have fresh chicken wings that you can bake and do what you want with. Theirs are outstanding; I’ve gotten them four times already. “Their cod, grouper. I haven’t had anything I don’t like, I’ll be honest with you. And their prices are phenomenal.” Co-owners Yonas Hagos, Brandon Partridge and Joe Porretta also own Silver Fox Bar & Grill in Yorkville, which opened in early 2021 (formerly Blackstone Bar & Grill). Porretta is the restaurant’s executive chef. The ownership group sought to fill a void it sensed on the Yorkville food and shopping scene. “The different concoctions that they come up with are pretty amazing,” Nelson says. “It’s stuff you wouldn’t think of at home.” Early returns would suggest a satisfied customer base from outside county limits, as well. Banning notes regular visitors come from towns including Morris, Ottawa, Elburn and Bolingbrook. Duane Thomas, who lives in Plano and works in Yorkville, spotted the store while visiting the adjacent Home Depot this winter. “‘I’m a guy; I like meat,’” he recalls thinking. Thomas followed that curiosity around the store and all the way to the checkout line, where a clerk noticed the U.S. Navy cap he was wearing. The clerk asked Thomas whether he was a military veteran, and after explaining the cap was for his son in active duty, Thomas confirmed that he indeed once served in the U.S. Army. His receipt unspooled with 15% off the bill, as Kendall Meat Company offers a discount for veterans and first responders. Hagos, an Ethiopian refugee, is a U.S. Army vet and Purple Heart recipient. “I thought it was very generous,” Thomas says. “There are a lot of companies that do honor veterans with a discount, but not quite that high.” The store is open 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. “It’s been very busy,” Banning says, “which you always hope for when you open a new business.”

 KENDALL MEAT COMPANY 731 Erica Lane, Yorkville 331-207-8151 Facebook: Kendall Meat Company