Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe upholds local flavor
Story by Taylor Koch
Photos by Brodie Curtsinger
Design by Natalie Barber & Breanna Burba
Editor’s Note: This article was originally released in Issue 19 of the WKU Talisman print magazine. Click here to read more articles from the Talisman’s semesterly print.
Tucked on the corner of Magnolia Street and Broadway Avenue is Rianís Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe. Steven Bartos, the head butcher, said that this locally owned operation provides a wide selection of fresh-cut meats, seafood, spices and Kentucky Proud products.
Kentucky Proud is the agricultural marketing brand for Kentucky. According to their website, its purpose is to support and sell locally sourced goods made by Kentucky farms and farmers.
According to their website, Kentucky Proud features items such as dairy products, processed foods, fresh produce and meat. Products must be raised, grown, manufactured or processed in Kentucky to be considered as a Kentucky Proud good.
Bartos said that his dad, Rian Barefoot, took the initiative to purchase the business in 2007.
Barefoot’s business is family owned and operated. He works alongside his wife and their children.
Bartos said that the family began the business in a small space located on the 31-W Bypass. He said they discovered restrictions like limited parking soon after, which made it difficult for a new business to fit the needs of customers. He said they moved to the Broadway Avenue location in 2019.
“Once we moved to this location, things kind of exploded,” Bartos said. “That was, until COVID-19.”
With every good business comes its challenges. He said that for Barefoot’s shoppe it had to face two of them only a year apart.
During the pandemic, supply chains were disrupted which led to inventory shortages. Barefoot said that local farmers remained mostly consistent with their supplies. He also said that made it easier in the shoppe to feed customers.
A year later, an Enhanced Fujita Scale three tornado hit in 2021, which closed the business for 15 months. According to the National Weather Service, the EF scale assigns a tornado a “rating” from one through five based on its estimated wind speed and the amount of damage it causes.
Bartos said they had a trailer filled with inventory located behind the main building that was destroyed. Supply chains were also slowed down during that time, which made it hard for the shoppe to supply customers.
Opening back up after an extended closure caused the family to worry. Bartos said they weren’t sure if the customer base they had grown beforehand would return. He said that thankfully, the community, made up of new and old customers, lined up outside the shop the day they reopened.
James Walker, a cashier at the Shoppe, has worked for the business for a little over 10 years. He said his job is to take orders and fulfill them as well as prepare steaks for customers.
“My favorite part about working here is dealing with the customers,” Walker said. “Everyone is super nice, and we have a really great customer base.”
Bartos said that purchasing a product at the shop is quite simple. Customers begin by telling the person at the register exactly what they want. There are a lot of ways to cook meat, which is why the employees help the customer decide on their exact order.
The employees help point the consumer in the right direction of what to purchase based on what cooking technique they have access to.
Not all meat works the same. For example, Bartos said that tough cuts such as brisket need a slower cooking time to reach tenderness. Tender cuts, on the other hand, are better to grill.
The same goes for cooking fish. Bartos said there are several methods to cook it, such as on a pan, steamed, poached and broiled. How you cook fish depends on its texture, fat, flavor, shape and size. The whole fish, such as trout, is best grilled while fillets are easier to broil.
Orders are taken on paper before being transferred to the representatives in the back. Bartos said each representative has a job.
“I primarily focus on the cut table and the band saw,” Bartos said.
Bartos said a band saw is a power tool used for cutting through frozen cuts of meat and bone. It is similar to a bandsaw used in woodworking, only this one is made specifically for food processing.
Meat is wrapped up by the representatives before being brought to Bartosís sister, Kathy Harper, in the front for weighing, Bartos said. The most important thing is that everyone works in unison to get the order together.
Bartos said that in the front of the store they display other goods aside from meat. For example, Barefootís wife sells homemade pimento cheese. Other items available for purchase include jam, butter, honey, salsa and pickles, along with different kinds of seasoning and sauces.
Bartos said miscellaneous items are provided by farmers and residents around the area. Joshua Poling, owner of Hickory & Oak restaurant in Bowling Green, is among the entrepreneurs whose products are featured in the shoppe.
Bartos said Polling recently took over Broadbentís Country Hams, a Kentucky-based company that sells broadbent country ham, bacon and sausage. The company’s products are dry-cured with salt and smoked, giving them a distinct flavor.
The shop has features such as “Fresh Fish Fridays.” Bartos said itís a day when fresh wild cod is sold. Bartos said that the store works with Bluefin Seafood Company, which sources their products from Alaska.
Bartos said beef sold at Barefootís shop is local to Kentucky. Black Hawk Farm, located in Princeton, Kentucky, provides it for the store.
During the holiday season, the shoppe features a special on Black Hawk Farms Wagyu products. Wagyu is a Japanese cattle breed, known for its tenderness and flavorful meat.
Bartos said the shoppe also does a Thanksgiving turkey special that features fresh and free ranged, organic Amish turkeys from Northern Kentucky.
“After we receive them, we individualize those turkeys based on the weight range of the consumers,” Bartos said.
Bartos said last year the shoppe sold 350 turkeys.
“It takes a while to assign them but we are happy to do it to help make the season special for the families,” Bartos said.
On the shoppeís website, it prides itself on selling goods sourced from the highest quality vendors. According to Bartos, their slogan is “quality product, quality service.”
The chicken the shoppe carries is a free range, all natural product. Chicken breasts are roughly five ounces.
“These are not Cornish Crosses, they’re all natural chickens,” Bartos said.
He also said the taste of their chicken is more flavorful compared to the mass production of grocery stores that increase the development of the chickens to be able to process them sooner.
Lamb wise, the shoppe collaborates with Freedom Run Farm Lamb.
Bartos said that Rians’ Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe is unique to Bowling Green because of the locally sourced, high-quality products they sell. Its focus on maintaining personal connections with customers and it being a family-owned operation make it more than just a butcher shop.