The Village Butcher, Woodstock
“I really want this place to be warm and welcoming to all people,” Alex says, “whether you’re getting a cup of coffee or a filet mignon. I want the experience to be very high touch, very old world.”
If the sitcom Cheers took place in a butcher shop, it would be The Village Butcher in Woodstock, the tour’s final stop. Owner Alex Beram and the staff make it a point to greet everyone who comes through the door. Most people they know by name, and those whose names they don’t know—perhaps a tourist or a first-time visitor—they greet with the same enthusiasm.
“I really want this place to be warm and welcoming to all people,” Alex says, “whether you’re getting a cup of coffee or a filet mignon. I want the experience to be very high touch, very old world.”
As is the case for many, the pandemic altered Alex’s life. He and his family moved from Boston to their condo in Quechee in early 2020. “We thought we’d just ride out this little virus for a couple of weeks,” Alex says, “and go back home.” When it was clear that wasn’t happening quickly, he decided to forge a new life in Vermont. After exploring many ways to establish roots here, he became intrigued when The Village Butcher’s original owners, George and Linda Racicot, put the shop up for sale after nearly 50 years in business.
Although not a butcher, Alex was drawn to the possibility of maintaining and growing the role The Village Butcher plays in town. “Being able to serve the community and to be a part of the community meant a lot to me,” he says.
Alex redesigned the shop, replacing rows of tall shelves with simpler displays and lower tables, making browsing all the delicious offerings easier. Additionally, the more open layout offers clearer sightlines. Everyone can watch head butcher Josh Coyle working, perhaps cutting and tying a leg of lamb with the determination and precision of an artist.
When Josh finishes whatever he’s cutting and adds it to the case already loaded with New England–raised New York strip steak, marinated steak tips, a gorgeous pot roast, or Korean-style beef short ribs, he can move on to his other tasks, one of which is sourcing the meat they sell with an eye to sustainability.
“We work to bring the circle of farmers who supply meat closer and closer to home,” Josh says and notes that The Village Butcher recently started sourcing its lamb from Billings Farm, which is within walking distance from the shop.
If that weren’t enough, Josh also makes the shop’s sausage. With the freezer full of sweet Italian, hot Italian, maple, breakfast links, and a variety of sausage meat, it’s a wonder he has time to do anything else.
The Village Butcher is ready to greet regulars and newcomers alike to this friendly shop in the center of town.
The ability to make sausage is new. When Alex purchased the shop, he built a kitchen in the basement. Apart from sausages, the crew turns out soups, pasta sauces, pot pies, and pork pies using former owner George’s mother’s recipe.
A stop at The Village Butcher is part of the experience for Woodstock’s tourists. Later, the same folks who stopped in for coffee in the morning may pop back for lunch, choosing a sandwich from the shop’s extensive menu. While they wait, they might watch another shopper, perhaps someone renting a house for the week, grab a tourtiere to enjoy at home with a glass of the wine they also purchased here. Or maybe the tourists will see a resident of the village select that perfectly tied leg of lamb, which will be the star of a winter dinner party with friends. No matter what they witness, when they get home, the tourists will tell their friends about this friendly butcher shop they visited in town, a place that made them feel like they belonged here, like they had discovered a local gem. Because they had.
