At 14 years old, Rob started a part time job in the butchery at his local supermarket, and despite his accountant parents hoping he would join them in their profession, meat was to become his future.
The Remuera butchery was first opened in 1961 and quickly became one of the best in New Zealand but in the last decade, it has had seven owners and had slid almost into obscurity. That is until Rob bought it at the tender age of 21 on 7 July 2010.
He was trained by his previous boss, an older man, who did things properly the way they were once done and that is what he incorporates into his work at The Meat keeper.
Rob has worked closely with some of Auckland’s top chefs to create unique recipes, especially for his handmade sausages which are glutton-free. He also has a unique recipe for smoked chicken, which uses free-range chickens and is preservative and nitrate free. He does all his smoking on the premises.
He has a unique spread of products and is the only retailer in New Zealand who sells Savannah Angus beef, which is a fully mature grass beef with a minimum of one month of maturing.
His aim is to have many ready-to-cook products for busy families, and already stocks several, such as ready-marinated and oiled meat and food parcels wrapped in pastry. His long-term aim is to blur the line between butcher and chef.
He likes to build relationships with his suppliers and is about to go up in a helicopter and fly over the areas where his wild venison comes from. He often visits the chicken farms which supply his chickens and the farm in Pukekohe where he buys his eggs. His suppliers have nothing to hide and welcome his visits.
He thoroughly enjoys working in Remuera because the people are so friendly, quite different from the preconceived idea that people have of them.
His aim in life at this stage, apart from building a business he can be truly proud of, is to work less than 70 hours a week but so far he has failed in the latter.
I can personally recommend you try some of his produce. You can find him at 392 Remuera Rd.
