Who We Are

The Butcher 

Jake is a nose-to-tail butcher/artist, who loves to cook. He grew up in the woody hills of Western Massachusetts where his passion for local, fresh food was first instilled in him.

The Baker 

Silka is a designer/crafter who loves to bake. She grew up in rural Western New York where her parents are candlestick makers. 

Together we spend most of our time talking about, shopping for, making, and eating food. By sourcing locally and sustainably, and spending time with the producers of our food, we’ve learned that every meal tells a story. Our collaborative blog, The Butcher & The Baker is an effort to document that story and share the food we love.

Our Food

We are lucky enough to live near the Union Square Green Market, where we buy most of our ingredients. We've moved! Sure, we miss the buzz of the USGM but now, newly stationed in the Berkshires, we're closer to our food than ever before. Jake brings home the local bacon, steaks and charcuterie. Next summer we'll have our own veggie patch, but in the meantime we're sourcing our greens from Jake's parent's garden, regional summer markets and our generous CSA share from Farm Girl Farm. As always, our meals tend to be home-style American food and usually consist of a protein, starch, vegetable or two- and if we're lucky, a dessert.

Our Kitchen

We cook in our small and simple kitchen with a good stove and oven and an always-crowded refridgerator. Most of our cooking is done with a few basic and trusty tools- wooden spoons, tongs, cast iron and enamel pots and pans, mixing bowls, a standing mixer and a good set of chef's knives. Occasionally we'll get into kitchen gadetry, but more often we get our kicks from simple and classic utensils.

Our Relationships

Because we shop regularly at markets and farm stores, we've built relationships with our producers. For us this is not just an ethic, but an aesthetic decison that extends past our kitchen and into our lives as artists and designers. On top of being better for the environment and local economy, we believe that our health has improved because of this closeness. As often as possible we go behind the scenes of the farms and factories that produce our food- and we encourage you to do the same.

Photography

We use a Canon Rebel T3i with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens and a Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash. We're certainly beginners, but we're learning.