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Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura, the Los Angeles butchers better known as Lindy & Grundy, hosted a butchering demo on March 28 in Terroni‘s back room. Posada provided commentary while Nakamura and an assistant broke down an eight-month-old, 55-pound, grass-fed lamb from Ritz Guggiana at Sonoma Direct in Petaluma. Debbie Rocker from nearby Rocker Bros. Meat, another important cog in the supply chain, also took part in the event.

Erika Nakamura Frenched lamb chops using a grueling process and explained why. “You see it a lot with rack of lamb, and it just makes for a really beautiful presentation, and it’s also that way because people can pick it up by the bone and enjoy it that way.”

Rizzo added some detriments to Frenching, saying, “Most people ask for it because they want something impressive on the plate, but when it comes to Frenching, we don’t really recommend it because it costs a lot and you’re typically Frenching off most of the fat, and fat has a lot of flavor, so if you’re going to cook with it, you’re missing a lot of the flavor.”

Near the end of the demo, Terroni passed appetizers including gnocchi fritti filled with ham and prosciutto. They also had crisp-crusted pizza topped with sausage and onions, Margherita pies and more.

Ori Menashe of nearby Angelini Osteria contributed lamb’s tongue crostini with grilled lamb tongue, cannellini bean puree, whole lentils, salsa verde, and pickled eggplant that he marinated in beet juice and red onion “to cut through the gaminess of the lamb.”

Terroni chef Antonio Giordano plied the industry crowd with pasta piled with lamb ragù.

Lindy & Grundy’s own Tim Havidic complemented lamb carpaccio with feta and onion for acidity.

JAR chef-owner Suzanne Tracht and lieutenant Preech Narkthong cooked lamb stew.

The night ended with Terroni’s strawberry shortcake, a completely lamb-free dessert.

Posada made it clear that this wasn’t a one-time educational experience, and invited chefs to join them at Lindy & Grundy to learn how to break down other whole animals, including cows. She said, “We definitely consider our shop an educational environment for everybody. It’s a place where there are no stupid questions. We educate people over the counter, and we definitely want to get as many chefs as we can to learn how to break down whole animals to utilize in their own kitchens.”