Vegetarian butcher opens in Toronto

YamChops, upon first glance, seems like a typical butcher. The display at the entrance showcases fresh sausages, meat patties and pulled pork.

But there’s one distinguishing element to YamChops’ array of local fare – it’s all vegetarian.

The counters across the store are filled with prepared plant-based food ready to eat or to cook, including beet burgers, a soy-based Mongolian “beef”, no pork pulled pork, and perhaps one of the most interesting items, a lox made from carrots.

Michael Abramson, owner and chef, claims YamChops to be Canada’s only vegetarian butcher shop. The location opened in Toronto’s Little Italy last Monday.

“I believe there’s a shortage of good vegan foods in the city,” said Abramson. “There are a few good restaurants, but other than that you need to go Whole Foods, Loblaw or Metro – and even there I find there’s something missing when it comes to take-home vegan cuisine.”

YamChops features an array of foods based on Abramson’s own recipes, but perhaps more impressive are his grocery offerings on the shelves and in the freezers around the store.

One freezer, for example, features an array of vegan dairy products from Daiya Foods, Bute Island Foods “Sheese” and Earth Balance spreads. A shelf nearby displays vegan condiments, salsa, sauces and gluten-free noodles.

A focus on convenient vegan food, and a preference for local products are at the forefront of Abramson’s mind.

Screamin’ Brothers, for example, is an Alberta-based company that specializes in dairy-free frozen treats. Another Canadian company, TeaPops, is also featured in the store.

While Abramson had vegetarians and vegans in mind when opening YamChops, he says they’ve seen a wide variety of customers.

“We knew we’d be popular with vegetarians, but we didn’t anticipate being so popular with flexitarians,” he said.

But with estimates that up to 40% of North Americans are flexitarians (those who eat meat on occasion), it makes sense that customers who walk by will stop by to see what the shop has to offer.

“We ask people when they come in about their dietary preference because we want to point them in the right direction – we ask if they’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or flexitarian,” explains Jess Abramson, Michael’s daughter. “Meat eaters sometimes find it difficult to reduce their meat consumption because they don’t necessarily know how, so we provide that option.”

After working for vegetarian manufacturer Sol Cuisine for three years, Jess left her career in sales to help develop YamChops. She’s responsible for the store’s organic, cold-press juices, sold under the name AuJus.

She estimates about five to six pounds of organic produce are used in each bottle, with all the produce bought from organic suppliers.

While the store only opened last week, Michael says the reception has been incredibly enthusiastic, and he hopes to continue to grow their vegan offerings. One beet burger at a time.