ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — When William Dray left St. John’s for the mainland in his early 20s, it was to pursue a career in the music business.
He didn’t envision literally learning how the sausage is made.
Fast forward a decade and Dray, alongside business partner and best friend of 17 years, Mike Elton, operates the Newfoundland Sausage Company, which specializes in homemade sausages made with all-natural ingredients and without any artificial binders, filler or preservatives.
But going into butchery meant starting fresh for Dray, who admits he knew nothing about the industry when he landed a gig hawking meat at Sanagan’s Meat Locker, a famed butcher shop in Toronto’s Kensington Market.
“My front of house manager was like, 'you need to get this or we're firing you.' And no one had really been that direct with me,” recounts Dray, who studied hard to get up to speed.
Eventually, he proved himself more than capable and was recruited to Sanagan's wholesale division, serving as a delivery driver often called on to help debone chickens or help break down an animal.
Before long, he approached owner Peter Sanagan about training to become a butcher.
“When I decided to do butchery, I walked away from music,” says Dray. “I just put it down and I was done. I think I was a bit jaded and exhausted with that hustle. It's a real grind, it really is, and my hat is off to anyone who does it and continues to do it, but I was done.”
After five and a half years with Sanagan's, Dray decided the time was right to come home and make a go of butchering in his hometown, so he reached out to Elton back in Newfoundland the pair went on to found Best Kind Butchers, operating exclusively at local markets and pop-ups around the metro region.
And while the demand for their selection of hand-cut meats and homemade sausages regularly led to them selling out wherever they set up, unfortunately, the reality of being a full-scale butcher in Newfoundland caught up to them.
“I think I had ideas in my head of what it was going to be like and I had some things put me in check in terms of what you can do here,” explains Dray. “It's not Ontario. It's not Nova Scotia. So you gotta deal with that.”
After a short hiatus, the duo decided to come back with a narrower focus. Where Best Kind Butchers would do whole animals and different offcuts, the goal of the new company is selling good, quality sausages.
“It's been incredible. We really streamlined our process and we're really focused on a particular thing and people are loving them,” says Dray.
Unlike Best Kind, the new company has its own weekend storefront, ideally located in the former home of Noseworthy’s Grocery & Meats on Southside Road.
“It was serendipitous,” says of landing the space where Hans Noseworthy built a reputation as one of the most skilled butchers in St. John’s for several decades.
“He's still doing moose and that's no joke. I've broken moose, I've broken beef, caribou, all that stuff and moose is a beast. The fact he's still doing at his age with his work ethic, it's inspiring.”
On a quiet Sunday morning, Dray took some time away from sausage maker to answer the Telegram’s 20 questions.
1. What is your full name?
William Eugene Dray.
2. Where and when were you born?
St. John's, August 1985.
3. Where do you live today?
Downtown St. John's.
4. What is your favourite place in the world?
Either Tors Cove or the Georgian Bay in Ontario. Tors Cove, because it means a lot to me. I've been out there off and on for 17 years. It's beautiful out there. The wildlife, the calm. I love it. The Georgian Bay... those crystal clear lakes, man. I jumped in there in May and froze. The water is like Caribbean clear and it's fresh water. It's so beautiful.
5. Who do you follow on social media?
I like Adam Danforth, he's a butcher who is just incredible. And Scott Draper, he's a charcutier at Sanagan's.
6. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I'm an animal lover, despite the gig. I love animals, always have, ever since I was a kid. I remember this film where this guy had a cheetah and he knew that he had to make it go away, so he's yelling at the cheetah, 'Get out of here,' and, man, that crushed me.
7. What has been your favourite year and why?
This year (2019) because of the progress. Getting this off the ground and being home.
8. Can you describe one experience that changed your life?
I had a gastrointestinal infection and lost 15 pounds in four days. That was a life-changer. I never experienced sickness like that. I know this sounds crazy, but I didn't know what was goin on at the time, so I was really worried that I might have been really sick. That was a reality check. It was really jarring. It made me look at my life a little differently, what I was doing, what's important to me, what's next for me, all that stuff.
9. What is your greatest indulgence?
Big Mary Monday.
10. What is your favourite movie or book?
Movie, "High Plains Drifter." I just love Clint Eastwood. Book, maybe Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" or "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk.
11. How do you like to relax?
Netflix and chill, man. (Laughs) No, truthfully, I love going out to Tors Cove, the Southern Shore, Placentia, or going out to Central. Just being out in nature, that's my thing. Unplugging and taking it all in. No screen time, maybe turn off the phone, maybe be out there with someone I love.
12. What are you reading or watching right now?
"Old Man and the Sea." I just started that one. Got it from a used bookstore downtown. I've never read it before, but it came highly recommended to me.
13. What is your greatest fear?
Even though I know it's slightly villainizing, a great white shark. They're beautiful creatures, I have nothing but respect for them, I'm not out to cull them, but that's a scary one for me.
14. How would you describe your personal fashion?
Functional, or trying to be. I've been kind of a chameleon over my life, but now functional.
15. What is your most treasured possession?
My six-inch boning knife. It is the workhorse, it is the tool, it's the thing I do everything with, all of my butchery starts with it. It's a part of me now. That thing is an extension of me.
16. What physical or personality trait are you most grateful to a parent for?
My moustache (laughs) that's from my father, for sure.
17. What three people would you invite to your dream dinner party?
My sister, my brother and my dad.
18. What is your best quality?
Being the middle child, my ability to negotiate. Being able to please everyone. Peacemaker. Arbitrator.
19. What is your worst quality?
I'm annoying. You can ask Mike or anyone else who knows me, I can be a little bit overzealous, a bit of a pest. I really appreciate people who put up with me.
20. What is your biggest regret?
I'm sure it'll change, but right now, not staying at Sanagan's for another two years to work with my charcutier friend Scott Draper. I could have really learned a lot more. I had a lot to learn from him and he was an open book with me. He's an incredibly talented, incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly intelligent human. I would have learned a lot, not just about charcuterie, but about life. I really admire him and look up to him.
Twitter: @kennoliver79
