New butcher shop The Meatatory, a portmanteau of “meat” and “laboratory,” opened Sept. 9 in the Oak Grove Village shopping center on Airline Highway in Prairieville.
The shop is owned and operated by husband and wife team Derek and Laura Stewart. Derek is the butcher and Laura is the business manager.
Formerly the co-owner of Gilla Brewing Company, Derek Stewart says he taught himself the tricks of the butchering trade through a lot of reading and trial and error. At first, he started out making his custom barbecue sauce for friends, then began experimenting at making different types of sausages. The demand became so overwhelming that he came to the point where he told his wife that they either needed to “go all the way” and open a storefront, or he would need to quit taking requests altogether.
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She agreed, so he sold his share of the brewery, and the couple used the money to open their shop.
The Meatatory sells specialty chicken wings every Wednesday, a homemade smoked chicken salad every Thursday and sausages that hit the store’s shelves each Friday, as well as a selection of charcuterie boards.
This story originally appeared in a Sept. 19 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.