Photo: Das Roc
Bryan Mayer has been at the forefront of the craft butcher movement in the US receiving training from master butchers, raising livestock, working on kill floors and mobile slaughter units, behind butcher counters, and on kitchen prep lines. In the mid-2000s he co-developed Fleisher's renowned butcher program, training a new generation of butchers and chefs that span the globe, focusing on sourcing, humane slaughter, and whole carcass utilization. Bryan co-founded Philadelphia's first butcher shop, restaurant, and education space, dedicated to supporting local agriculture and fostering a connection between rural and urban communities. He has lectured and conducted workshops with the James Beard Foundation, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, The American Grassfed Association, The American Lamb Board, the Culinary Institute of America, The Savory Institute, in addition to consulting with farmers, slaughterhouses, and processors, throughout the US and the world.
He has previously worked with Kunoa Cattle Company as their Director of Product, Maui Nui Venison as the Chief Venison Officer, and Savory Institutes Land To Market. He was selected as a judge for the 2022 World Butchers’ Challenge in Sacramento, CA, and currently serves on the board of directors for the Hawaii Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and is a faculty member at University of Hawaii’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific.
Bryan has been featured in and written for Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Esquire, Men's Health, and appeared on Tasting Table, Eater, Jezebel, and the Rachel Ray Show. He wrote the "Ask Your Butcher" column for Zero Point Zero’s Food Republic.
You can hear him on his radio show/podcast, No Ounce Wasted, where he speaks with some of the world’s most talented and passionate butchers, ranchers, chefs, and other meat industry professionals.
more about Bryan…
“Working alongside Bryan Mayer is akin to playing music with a Coltrane in the band or basketball with a Bryant on your team. His deep knowledge of the craft of butchering combined with his understanding of ethical animal husbandry makes him one of the best in his field.”
— Ian Knauer
Author and Founder, The Farm Cooking School
"Bryan is an exceptional educator. He weaves in philosophy and creative cookery with butchery to make butchering animals a truly interesting experience. The U.S. needs more Bryans in order to resurrect the art of craft butchery!"
— Andrea Dean, MBA
Director of Sustainability and Business Development Hōkūnui Maui Regenerative Farming Community
“Bryan teaches about meat with grace and natural talent. He is passionate about sourcing, farming, butchering, cooking and eating meat for all the right reasons and he is committed to sharing those ideas and his knowledge as far and wide as possible. He is inspiring to those he shares with and seems to have inexhaustible patience without condescension when explaining, debating, sharing and above all forging relationships that strengthen and support the future of our food systems.”
— Harry Rosenblum
Founder of the Brooklyn Kitchen and the Meat Hook, Brooklyn NY Author of Vinegar Revival (Clarkson Potter, 2017)
"Bryan is a wealth of meat-formation. He's my go to resource for not only meat how to, but also meat who's who. I haven't met a single person in the meat world who hasn't leaned on Bryan's considerable skills at least once. Often, Bryan and I will trade lengthy texts of pictures of meat, trying to figure out a flaw in a process or accuracy of a claim. These meaty Sherlock Holmes-esque exchanges are some of my favorite moments in my job. If you're looking for someone to help solve your meat problems while keeping the moral compass true, Bryan has you covered."
— Dan Honig
CEO Happy Valley Meat Company
“I was 21-years-old, working with Bryan at a small gourmet grocery in Brooklyn when he decided to apprentice himself as a butcher. It was then that I learned that when Bryan commits to taking on a new challenge, he throws his entire being into it; his keen mind, his kind heart, his tattooed forearms, everything. That he's ultimately become a hyper-talented and widely respected butcher and food-systems thinker is about the least surprising outcome I can imagine; honestly, if he decided to pack up his knives tomorrow and study law, I'd fully expect to see him arguing before the Supreme Court within the decade. Bryan taught me that when you decide to do something, you do it with integrity, humility, purpose, and unbridled passion, or you don't do it at all. I'll always be grateful for that.”
—Daniel Meyer
Founding Editor, Heated with Mark Bittman
"Bryan is one of the most progressive, intelligent, and eloquently talented people in the movement to produce better meat in our food system. He's my go-to guy for all things good meat and I don't know anyone who's more at the forefront of building a healthier, tastier, more sustainable meat industry. I highly recommend anyone who's interested in furthering the better meat movement to connect and collaborate with Bryan."
— Mike Lee
Alpha Food Labs, Co-Founder, Co-CEO
“As an educator chef, butcher Bryan has been an enormous influence to my career. His care and devotion to the craft of butchery shines vividly. He has proven to be one of the most notable butchers this generation has seen.”
— Michael Lapi
SUNY Cobleskill, Instructor of Meat Processing and Culinary Arts
“I've worked with Bryan on a number of consumer and media education projects in the good meat sector. His blend of farming, livestock, slaughter, butchery and cooking knowledge is so unique and impressive. He's so good at connecting the dots between the farming process and the end product. It's clear he's constantly studying, honing his skills and gaining new information to share. The way he imparts his knowledge is always captivating and memorable. I can't recommend him enough as a consultant, educator and speaker.”
— Danielle Davis
Denver Meat Collective
“Bryan was an essential part of the success of the restaurant and butcher shop at Wyebrook Farm. He set up our butchering program, trained subsequent butchers, built an amazing rapport with both our customers and staff. He has a love for his work that shows through in everything that he does. His integrity with regard to the sourcing and care of sustainable meat is an inspiration to all of us that value good food. I am honored to call him a friend.”
— Dean Carlson, Wyebrook Farm