Connecting over mEAT

This past weekend we co-hosted our first mEAT UP at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen and it was a huge success! One of the themes that emerged throughout the day was the importance of connection and the various connections that were made throughout the day provide the perfect lens through which to convey what made this event so special.

Connection with our Food

We intentionally used a lowercase “m” in the title of our event to raise awareness of the other nourishing foods available to us humans while still emphasizing the importance of meat. I suppose you could think of it as an EAT UP with an emphasis on meat. At our mEAT UP we celebrated the whole animal and used a nose-to-tail approach by also offering: pork rinds, cold smoked beef heart tartare, chicken liver pate and beef tongue.

We also celebrated the incredible nutrition that dairy can provide (especially when its fermented) and created all sorts of fermented dairy foods different from local milk including crema, fermented butter, burrata, stracciatella, burrino, Armenian string cheese, and even entirely scratch made fermented pimento cheese!

We offered a variety of fermented vegetables and even some of our wild, long fermented sourdough products. And, of course, the tacos were served with nixtamalized maize tortillas made from heirloom Oaxacan maize.

This holistic approach served two very important purposes.

First, it served to highlight the powerful role food processing plays towards making all sorts of raw materials safer and more nourishing, ethical and sustainable. From a nose-to-tail approach to butchering and cooking to fermenting and nixtamalizing, the foods we served were safer, more nutrient dense and more bioavailable than the raw materials from which they were made.
Second, this approach was inclusive. In a dietary landscape where so much of the conversation is polarized: all meat or all plant, keto or low fat, and on and on and on we wanted to create a safe and inclusive space that embraced and supported a variety of approaches all focused on using a variety of ancestral and traditional approaches to food preparation to provide everyone opportunities to nourish themselves however they wanted.

Connection with our environment:

We were only mere miles from most of the raw ingredients from which our food was prepared. All the cheeses were made from milk that came from a local dairy, the beef heart and pork rinds from animals that were raised on farms about 7 miles away, and many of the vegetables came from several farms in Kent County. We prepared all the food entirely from scratch which meant our team was literally the only link in the food chain between the farmer and the attendees for much of the food that was served.

Connection with leaders in the nutrition space

Through a butchering demonstration, a presentation on oxalates, and a panel Q and A everyone in attendance had direct contact with experts in the ketogenic diet and movement space, a medical doctor and podcast host embedded in the ancestral dietary world, a chiropractor and heart expert, one of the world’s leading experts on oxalates, and an archaeologist/chef. And, through the generosity of our sponsors, everyone was also connected to some incredible food suppliers and producers including: Wild Pastures, Paleovalley, LMNT, Dry Farm Wines, Pluck and Keto Brick.

Connection with our community

The experience and knowledge base of everyone that attended was incredible! We had an amazing group of people from all over the country including California, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland! And, everyone came from a wide variety of backgrounds, each with different specialities and unique experiences to share. We had nutritional professionals, farmers, authors as well as a poet, an underwater photographer, coffee roaster, land surveyor, Homeland Security Advisor, athletic director, and this list only scratches the surface! From all these different walks of life the common thread that bound everyone together was that they were all on journeys with the same end goal in mind – nourishing themselves and their loved ones to live their best lives. It was so rewarding to watch the magic that unfolded during the networking time, dinner and after the event when everyone had opportunities to talk, share stories and inspire one another.

I am convinced that connection is truly what it is all about.

It is through connection that we can be inspired and informed. It is through connection that we can be nourished in all the ways that humans need to achieve real health. We are so proud to have helped create the opportunity for that connection here at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen. And a HUGE thank you to so many people that helped make it happen including:

Bronson Dant and Natalie Grasso for idea and for co-sponsoring the event
Bronson Dant, Natalie Grasso, Dr. Gary Shlifer, Sally Norton, and Dr. Stephen Hussey for making the trip and sharing your knowledge
The Modern Stone Age Kitchen team for all of your hard work transforming raw ingredients into delicious and nourishing food
Our sponsors: The Eastern Shore Food Lab, Ultimate Ketogenic Fitness, Keto Brick, Dry Farm Wines, LMNT, the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, Pluck, Paleovalley, Wild Pastures, Eat Like a Human and Less Glove More Fist Keto Fit for Life for your generosity
-And, most importantly, everyone who attended! You made this event possible and we are so lucky to be a part of your community. Thank you for sharing your Saturday with us and hope you had a great time.