We’ve all been to the same culinary events around the country, and know the drill: the endless little plates of food served from steam trays, the pounding techno music and classic rock, the celebrity chefs and overflowing trash cans. Meatopia is different, and not just because the food is better. We have some core convictions, and they are as follows.

Meatopia is an All-Natural Event
Our chefs are all enjoined not to use gas, electricity, or propane to prepare their food. Wood logs, chunks, or lump hardwood charcoal are the only cooking fuels.

Meatopia Uses Meat Our Guests Can Feel Good About
Every piece of meat at Meatopia is certified cruelty-free, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free. We celebrate meat eating of every kind, but with the crucial caveat that the meat have lived well, been fed right, and died in a humane, respectful way. We love meat, but we love animals too.

Meatopia is a Chef-Driven Event – So Chefs Do the Cooking
The chefs are the heart of the event, so they need to be personally cooking, investing themselves in the event and being available to talk with our guests.

Meatopia Dishes are Made for Meatopia
Nothing could be easier than for our chefs to take a popular dish from their menu and serve it at our event. But that robs our guests of the chance to eat something truly unique and special, and that can’t happen. So we ask all of our chefs to create a dish specifically for the event.

Meatopia is Not Just About Eating
Every Meatopia, of any size, has to have non-culinary programming, whether in the form of live music, art, cooking and butchering demos, beer gardens, spirit pairings, and other events. Whole Foods Market’s national finals of its Best Butcher contest is a perfect example of the kind of programming that brings richness and diversity to our event.

Meatopia is About Every Kind of Cooking and Every Kind of Meat
Unlike any number of barbecue and grilling events, Meatopia isn’t dominated by pulled pork, spare ribs, burgers, or brisket. There is, with almost no exceptions, no redundancy at Meatopia. Every kind of animal is represented, and no two dishes from the same animal should be the same.

Meatopia is About Celebrating the Whole Animal
Meatopia’s chefs are urged to refrain from using the conventional, high-priced cuts that people are used to eating — the tenderloin, the rib chops, the strip steaks and the like. We challenge their skill at using all parts of the animal, and giving the public a chance to taste how great they can be.