Chef Team from Barbados Impressed with Quality, Versatility of U.S. Lamb

A team of chefs from Barbados recently got a firsthand look at the quality and versatility of U.S. lamb during an educational visit to Colorado arranged by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). The team was given an extensive tour of the Superior Farms lamb plant in Denver, where vice president of operations Shane McKenzie and export coordinator Faith Garrard took the chefs through the company’s processing and packing procedures. They also participated in a U.S. lamb cutting and tasting demonstration at the Americatus New World Italian Restaurant in Denver.

Edward Juman (pronounced HUMAN) of Continental Foods, a meat importer/distributor based in Barbados, accompanied the team to the United States. He provides his thoughts on the benefits of the tour in the attached audio report.

Chef Iain Chisholm (pronounced IAN CHIZUM), owner of Americatus, explains that the dishes featured at the cutting and tasting demonstration showcased underutilized lamb cuts such as shank, belly, neck and tongue, providing the chefs with a range of innovative and profitable menu concepts.


TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: The Caribbean is traditionally one of the largest export destinations for U.S. lamb, and the U.S. Meat Export Federation recently hosted a team of chefs from Barbados for a lamb cutting and tasting demonstration and a tour of the Superior Lamb Plant in Denver, Colorado. Edward Juman, an importer based in Barbados, accompanied the team and he has more details in this USMEF report.

Edward Juman: The main objective is to expose them to various proteins that are available, showing them what we can get versus what they are using now. Everyone was impressed with the full tour of Superior Farms and the manner in which they process all of their animals, how they handle, how they cater to their various customers – retail and foodservice. They are very knowledgeable and they were able to answer all the questions from our chefs about the various cuts of lamb. Some of the cut that we saw at the plant we got a chance to taste by Chef Iain today, and that definitely added to the experience. Not only did they see new products, but they actually got to taste it.

Joe Schuele: Chef Iain Chisholm of the Americatus Restaurant in Denver demonstrated a number of dishes for the chefs team that showcased underutilized lamb cuts.

Iain Chisholm: The whole idea was to kind of show the versatility of lamb and the flavor profile it can take on, so we did the braised lamb tongue in red wine, so it’s a very classic Italian preparation. And then right next to it we have a Mexican style lamb neck, braised barbacoa style. And then we did the shank rubbed with – it’s really like a curry, but it has a North African flavor profile. And then the belly – we braised that with Dijon mustard and lavender. This all came from one lamb. It’s all so usable, and they have a different texture and flavor than just your rack that everybody is used to, or your leg of lamb. Some of these more unique cuts are great money makers, too, on a menu.

Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.