How has this Cabbagetown butcher lasted more than 50 years?


Mark Michelin sports a tattoo on his hand, not far from a full sleeve of ink on his left arm, that speaks volumes about the kind of person he’s become. It depicts a clock face that is slowly disintegrating.

“I got it because I’ve always believed you have to think about how you never know how much time you have,” says the owner of St. James Town Steak & Chops on Parliament St., a block north of Carlton. A family business since 1971, this hybrid butcher/grocer specializes in antibiotic-free meat hailing from P.E.I., an array of sausages, chicken and seafood, and a rotating menu of prepared dishes.

Within the U-shaped interior, the space on the right is a sandwich shop featuring ready-made dishes, with a handful of chairs and tables to accommodate the lunch crowd, while the other side features the display cases of meats and shelves filled with pantry items like olive oil and noodles. A freezer carries a wide variety of soup, sauces, perogies and even pizza from PIANO PIANO.

Michelin’s carpe diem embrace stems from a horrific incident that shook his family more than 30 years ago: In 1992, his younger brother Santo, 19 at the time, was at a bar in Baysville when a truck crashed outside. The two men involved in the crash asked Santo and a friend to drive them to the highway before the police arrived, since the truck had been stolen. When they got to the highway and Santo stopped to let them out, the men shot him and his friend, left them and stole his vehicle. They were later apprehended.

“My parents were never the same,” says Michelin, “and his death affected me in a way that I don’t look too far ahead. Life can change at any point, and we need to enjoy the ride.”

The Michelins appreciated the community support during their intense grief, and the family soldiered on to continue operating Steak & Chops, with patriarch Terry leading the way.

“My father always enjoyed being social with customers. He was the kind of butcher who wasn’t just about buying meat, but was all about knowing what each person liked as soon as they walked in,” Michelin says. “He always loved seeing the kids of his older customers coming in to buy stuff from us.”

In the late 1960s, Terry was working in the meat department at the Dominion supermarket in Sherway Gardens, when his friend Bob Stewart approached him with a proposal. He knew a butcher in Cabbagetown looking to sell his business, and would Terry want in on the venture? Terry and Stewart purchased the shop in 1971, and when Stewart passed away in 1991, the Michelin family took full control.

Arriving downtown from their home in Rexdale, young Mark would sweep the floors and learn from his father about serving quality cuts of meat.

“It’s all about the marbling,” he says. “Those white flecks, or fat lines, running through the muscle are important because they render out during the cooking and make the cut nice and juicy and tender.”

Meat lovers should also look for a steak “that’s a bit darker in colour, not bright red,” Michelin advises. “That would show its a bit more aged, which definitely adds to the tenderness.”

Around 20 years ago, Michelin bought the store from his father and ushered in a new era, adding grocery items such as fruits, veggies and cheese, as well as establishing a takeout section. On any given day, customers can buy, say, some colourful corn salad, bacon cheddar potato skins, chicken enchiladas, steak and mushroom pies or chicken Caesar wraps.

But customers clamour for those steaks and chops. Each week, Michelin says, the store goes through 15 New York striploins (at 12 pounds each, minimum), 10 ribeyes, eight prime ribs, 100 pounds of stewing meat, and 300 pounds of ground beef.

The sausages include smoked jalapeno cheddar, apple and bacon, and sundried tomato turkey.

As the neighbourhood has evolved over the years, Michelin says, the customer base has similarly shifted, from “those with renovated Victorian homes mixed in with others rummaging through their pockets for change to buy from us” to young families buying ribs and steaks for summer barbecues.

The community retains some of the character from the early days, he adds. “A few of the main stores are still here, so the area’s retail landscape hasn’t changed too much.” As much as the neighbourhood anchors, such as Home Hardware and No Frills, have withstood tough times over the years, other smaller shops and restaurants have changed hands.

“The change is good for the neighbourhood,” Michelin says, “as new shops bring in new people.”

Michelin isn’t alone in maintaining the family business. His wife, Silvia, assists with bookkeeping and payroll, and two of his three sons help ensure the store runs smoothly: Alex, 22, and Noah, 24, work on recipes for the prepared food counter, bake the desserts, help manage the online orders and post on social media. His other son, Jesse, works as a computer programmer.

Getting most of his family involved in the business sets up Michelin for a comfortable stroll into retirement. While not finalized on paper, a succession plan is in place, with the hope that Noah and Alex will eventually take over. “I enjoy what I do here, which gives me a feeling of purpose,” Noah says. “Being able to take something that is unrefined and messy and turn it into a beautiful refined cut is very satisfying. It’s almost like creating art, but my canvas is a prime rib.”

Discussing how he and his brother could one day run the store, Noah smiles and says, “Alex brings the experience that I don’t have, and I bring experience that he doesn’t have. I think we complement each other very well: he is very good at cooking and has a focus on behind-the-scenes operations, while my focus is customer engagement. It would be fantastic to have him here with me in the future.”

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