Chef Jordan Lohneis proudly wears a The Pig and Pantry T-shirt as he stands in his small but mighty kitchen.
His craft butchery in Riversdale has been open several months, and Lohneis has taken a few hours out of his day to meet with us, and he even has slices of kovbasa to snack on as we chat about all things meat.
Being a small-business owner means that there is always something to do at the shop, and there are many hats to wear, and so far he’s loving every minute of it. Jordan has thoroughly enjoyed the slow growth of his business and building relationships with regular customers of The Pig and Pantry.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, Lohneis is a Red Seal Chef who, after working in restaurants for 15 years, naturally gravitated to butchery and charcuterie. In 2015 he launched The Pig and Pantry, after the realization that Saskatoon was lacking a small batch, craft butcher shop that was dedicated to using only locally sourced meat. Jordan gets in whole animals from farmers who have taken care of them well, and have also done right by the environment. Beef comes from Sanden Farm near Davidson, and Pork from Grovenland Farm near Lanigan. This care and attention to sourcing quality products means The Pig and Pantry can supply quality meat to Saskatonians.
If you’ve been to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market over the past few years, you’ve likely seen Jordan’s showcase of delicious sausages, pate, and chops. After renting and outgrowing commercial kitchen space, opening a storefront for his business was a giant leap, but one he wanted to take. Having the butcher shop means that a much wider variety of customers can walk in through the doors and be wowed by the selection of meat on hand.
While you can find everything from steaks, burgers, bacon, chops, and even oxtail on occasion, the one thing The Pig and Pantry is becoming known for is the selection of sausages. Flavour is the focus here, and unlike other sausages you can find in the grocery store, there are no binders, fillers or phosphates allowed anywhere near Jordan’s sausages. Thai, Cumberland, Harrisa, Chorizo, Persion, Italian, and Andouille are just some of the sausage varieties, but the most popular of all is the maple bacon. This is a hot seller, and rightly so. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and it’s arguably the best breakfast sausage in the city. And, if customers want to pop in for something to eat, Jordan has thought of that, too. This bright and shiny new location also allows Lohneis to offer a small lunch menu where customers can pop in for a burger or sandwich, complete with crispy pork fat potatoes on the side.
While Jordan kinda sorta has the day off, he’s taking the time to prepare some banana bread to snack on during his busy work week. While he really loves meat, Jordan also has quite the sweet tooth and enjoys having some baked goods in the house. As he stirs together the banana bread (he has a recipe in his head which he follows), we chat a little about this and that.
Q: If you only have 15 minutes to eat, what do you cook for yourself?
A: I’ll boil some pasta and mix some of our ragu with it. Or I’ll cook some rice and put some of our green curry on it. If I’m really in a hurry, I’ll crush some toast with peanut butter and my mom’s grape jelly.
Q: Did anyone inspire you to become a chef?
A: I always enjoyed cooking as I was growing up. I watched The Urban Peasant — he was one of my favourites — and What’s for Dinner with Ken Kostick and Mary Jo Eustace. I’d write down the recipes from the TV and make them and they’d be so bad! My mom bakes very well, and I’d help her quite often.
Q: What’s your guilty pleasure grocery store item?
A: I crush a lot of ice cream! Tiger Tiger, Peanut Butter are both really good. I don’t look at the list of ingredients anymore. Any time is a good time for ice cream.
Q: If you could cook for anyone famous, who would it be?
A: I’m a bit of a Calgary Flames fan, and my favourite Flame of all time is Jerome Iginla, so it would have to be him. But it would be nice if Lanny was there too. Flames Alumni! That would be a nice dinner to cook for.
Q: What’s your favourite Saskatchewan ingredient to work with?
A: Saskatchewan does a good job with a few things. There’s so much good honey, and eggs. Garlic is pretty good, and we use a lot of mustard. Asparagus is good. I do love vegetables, I swear, even though I’m a meat guy! Tomatoes, for sure. But, my number one favourite Saskatchewan ingredient has got to be pork. Saskatchewan does a really good job with their meat.
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