Road Trip: Richmond’s Belmont Butchery

I’ve headed down to Richmond several times this summer since a friend moved there for work. Despite the city’s reverence for the Civil War, I really like Richmond. The houses are lovely, there’s terrific shopping, and the restaurants have soul, whether it’s Kuba-Kuba, Mamma ‘Zu, Buzz and Ned’s Barbecue, or Comfort.

On my last trip, I stopped by Belmont Butchery to talk with Richmonder Tanya Cauthen, a Swiss-trained chef who opened in Carytown nearly two years ago. After working in Australia, Cauthen– who had also been a chef at The Frog and the Redneck– returned to Richmond craving a butcher shop. “Within six weeks, I secured funds, rented space, and opened,” she says. “Fortunately it came so fast, I didn’t know what I was getting into.”

Two years later, she has four employees, a slew of regulars, and mentions in Saveur  as well as an upcoming issue of Food and Wine.

Most of Cauthen’s products, which include duck sausage, head cheese, guanciale, mortadella, and bacon, are made in-house from locally-raised, grass-fed, heritage pigs and cows.  She also features a small yet ambitious wine selection, pork and duck broth, and crowd-pleasers for a cheese board such as Pt. Reyes Blue and La Tur. Customers looking for cooking inspiration can browse cookbooks lining shelves around the shop.

 In addition to Belmont Butchery, foodtrippers may also want to check out Yellow Umbrella Seafood, The Compleat Gourmet, and Penzeys.

(photo from Richmond Food Collective.)