The holiday season is more or less one of the few times a year when everyone gets together and visits with the family. Everyone’s definition of family is different for the most part, and so are their ideas of how to celebrate the holidays. And though we’re all different, one thing that we all have in common is the desire to share our favourite holiday treats and traditions with our loved ones.
Heath Newman of Newmans Fine Foods
That might mean getting together and having that nice turkey roast, or cooking a whole turkey. Maybe you prefer to offer your family a prime rib, or to cook up a ham or something that might seem less traditional to some, like lamb. There are so many different choices of meats and it all begins with the cuts.
“One thing that I really love about the holidays is introducing new foods to those kids who are sitting around our dinner table. It’s an opportunity to encourage them to try different things that they wouldn’t usually have throughout the year because they aren’t typically having turkey except for maybe in deli sandwiches but other than that, turkey is eaten mostly during Easter, Thanksgiving, and maybe Christmas. The same applies for ham. Most people don’t cook up a whole ham as part of their regular meal planning,” Heath explains.
When asked what Christmas means to him, Heath answers. “It’s about family, and community. That is what I love most about Newmans – that it’s so community focused. It’s feels like whenever someone walks through our doors, they are part of our family.” Heath pauses, then continues. “I love those moments when someone walks in and it’s a familiar face and the conversation might go something like, Hey Frank, how are the kids? It’s such a warm feeling and what we like to offer the community. When you visit our store, you are not just a number to us. We like to take care of you. To ask you, hey, what are you making? From there, we can help you choose the perfect cut of meat. And sometimes you might change your mind on the cut based on our advice.”
And when it comes to offering advice about what sort of meat to use in your recipe, Heath certainly knows what he’s talking about. He’s been in the business since his teen years. “Yeah, I’ve been doing this for awhile,” Heath offers with a warm smile on his face. “I worked at a meat shop in Richmond back when I was a young kid. Our next door neighbours owned a butcher shop in Richmond called Seafair Gourmet Meats on No 1 Road & Francis.” Heath pauses then continues, “I worked there all the way through high school and then as I graduated, my family was offered the opportunity to take over the business and we’ve been running it ever since. It’s still called Seafair and has a very strong staple of clients in the same location. As of November, 2016, we also opened the doors here in Tsawwasen to Newmans Fine Foods, which now has our own family name behind it.” Heath reflects.
Newmans is a growth beyond Seafair,” Heath explains. “Seafair is more of a classic traditional butcher shop, whereas Newmans changed the name and broke brand because we wanted it to be more than just a meat shop. It also offers the deli section with the soups and the sandwiches.” Heath offers with a smile.
Heath adds, “Although we’ve modernized our brand, at the same time, we still go back to the roots of connecting with our customers and asking them, Hey, how was your steak last night? Or how was your trip to the island? How did that go? It feels like Cheers, where everyone knows your name. And the more time you spent here, you more the relationships just develop over time.
And when you walk through these doors, chances are Heath will be around. He wears many hats in this small family business and is always waiting to offer a very warm toothy grin while greeting his customers with an eagerness to tend to their meaty needs.
So what are Heath’s recommendations this holiday season?
Heath offers, “When deciding what meat you want to serve your family and other guests, start with deciding what you are going to make. From here, we can help you decide what is the best cut of meat for you. Instead of cooking a whole turkey, you might be better off with a stuffed turkey breast roast and opt for mostly dark meat – there are so many choices and all you have to do is ask and we are here to answer all your questions and help you select the perfect options.”
No matter what you are making this holiday season, if you are in the neighbourhood, poke your head in at Newmans Fine Foods in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, and allow Heath and his extended family to help you select the perfect cut of meat to add to your holiday recipes.
On behalf of Heath and everyone at Newman’s Fine Foods, we hope you have a safe & happy holiday season while spending time with loved ones, preparing, cooking, eating and even cleaning up after your favourite holiday meals.
Newmans Fine Foods
#105 – 5188 Springs Boulevard
Delta, BC, V4M 0A6
info@newmansfinefoods.com
604-948-0677
