A meat cute story: How Kelly Kawachi became head butcher of Blackbelly Market and won a Michelin award

1 year ago 20

The first time Kelly Kawachi tried to carry a cow’s leg from the delivery to the cold room at Blackbelly Market, she realized she’d miscalculated. The leg was heavier than she anticipated, and with every step, Kawachi felt like she was sinking lower and lower into the ground.

“Over the years, I definitely realized I needed to up my arm strength because I wanted to be helpful,” said Kawachi, who started at Blackbelly in 2016 and is now head butcher.

Then, there’s the fact that she is a woman in a world dominated by men. Customers often assume she’s a male when they ask for the manager, said Ethan Perry, who works for Kawachi as her lead butcher at the Boulder restaurant. “You don’t meet a lot of female butchers.”