Kelowna butcher shop adds yak meat to the menu

Chicken, pork and beef move over, there’s a new meat in town and it’s got people yacking.

Carnist, an ethical butcher shop that opened last year along Richter Street near Recreation Avenue in Kelowna, is serving up Yak steaks, burgers and more. Carnist owner Tom Looijschelder compares it to a luxury sports car.

“I would say, if you’ve never driven a Ferrari, this is your chance to drive one. It’s extremely beefy, so not gamey, super flavourful.”

He sources all his meat as locally as possible, and that applies to this latest offering, which comes from Black Yak Cattle Co. near Grindrod. He met the Yak rancher through a customer and learned that she was also originally from The Netherlands.

“She is a first-generation farmer,” explains Looijschelder. “She started leasing land from retired farmers – very droughted-out land – but by putting up the Yak and by manure, letting the Yak live on the land, the land came back to life. Of course, with a little help from seeding.”

He points out she doesn’t use any pesticides or chemicals to regenerate the land.

“It’s very cool that new farmers think like that and help the food system repair.”

Looijschelder and his wife relocated from Vancouver, opening Carnist just over six months ago. He says the Kelowna community has embraced their ethical food philosophy, which is grounded in respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers.

“We moved here while my wife was pregnant, driving along the Coquihalla not knowing where we were going from Vancouver.

“We popped into the cheese store next door, Perseval & Young. We had a chat and they said, hey, there’s a place popping up in your building, so we started talking with the landlord, which is an extremely cool lady.

“We had to be a little bit patient. We were looking at other spots in town, but I’m extremely grateful that this happened,” said Looijschelder.

The stretch of Richter Street between Clement Avenue and Recreation Avenue is seeing a revitalization with new businesses moving in, including a wine bar that is set to open right next door to Carnist.