Where craftsmanship meets local flavors

DEARY — A 15-pound batch of beef sausages flavored with montasio cheese and ghost peppers sold out when The Butcher Shop featured them at Deary Days.

The links are an example of what customers can expect from the recently opened Deary business, said Gary Moore, an owner of the business, which is managed by one of his daughters, Hanna Moore.

It carries a rotating selection of traditionally cured bologna, salami, sausages and mortadella, as well as steaks, roasts and other cuts of beef and chicken.

“We wanted to bring the craft of butchery back,” he said. “The craft is very much involved in the curing of the meats, making them stable in as much of the traditional methods as we can.”

Their goal is to sell upper end, carefully sourced products and educate customers about how to cook them, he said.

In the case of the sausage, the meat came from cows raised at their ranch a short drive away in the Princeton area. They sourced the cheese from Brush Creek Creamery at the Pie Safe Bakery just down the street.

Every Saturday, The Butcher Shop hosts a barbecue from 4-7 p.m. in two parking spaces outside the business where customers can buy hamburgers they grill or a rotating item that’s more unusual, he said.

As part of the event, the Moores explain their techniques so customers can replicate them at home.

The business has its roots at the Moores’ home where Gary Moore, his wife, and four of their six children, including Hanna, reside raising and processing much of what they eat.

Much of the meat at The Butcher Shop comes from their ranch where they keep a herd of 15 short-horned milking cows that graze on 45 acres of pasture. What they don’t raise at the ranch comes from producers that follow similar practices.

The breed of a cow isn’t necessarily as important as how it’s raised and if it’s been harvested at the right time, Moore said.

“If you’re going to be healthy, you should probably eat things that are healthy,” he said.

The animals are butchered at a USDA facility, then hang in a cooler at The Butcher Shop for 14 to 21 days before being broken down into steaks and roasts or ground for items like sausages and aged for as long as 42 days.

Soon at least some of the hanging will happen in a cooled Himalayan salt chamber in one of the front windows of The Butcher Shop.

The fermentation that occurs during aging enhances flavors in meat similar to the process of making cheese and reduces the water content of the meat, which intensifies and concentrates flavors, Moore said.

In addition to meat, The Butcher Shop carries king salmon, lingcod and halibut on Fridays and Saturdays line caught by a friend they met when they lived in Oregon.

The business is housed in the former Deary Mercantile that was constructed in 1926, expanded in the 1940s, and, at one time, had a dance hall in the upper story, Moore said.

The restoration that Moore did with business partners, John French and Gabe French involved preserving a pressed tin ceiling, hardwood floors, wood trusses and brick, which he believes may have been made from local clay. The Frenches are also owners of the Pie Safe Bakery.

The mercantile carried items that catered to the logging town such as sporting goods, canning supplies, candy, toys, guns, clothing, alcohol, guns and horse feed, he said.

A number of possibilities are being considered to fill empty parts of the building, such as a new version of the mercantile or an ice cream parlor, Moore said.

The Moores belong to Heritage Idaho, a small Christian fellowship in Deary. Members of the church moved to Deary from Waco, Texas, about 16 years ago and have helped turn the rural town into a culinary hub by opening businesses such as the Pie Safe Bakery and Brush Creek Creamery.

His family loves Deary, he said, partly because of how all of its residents work hard to make its economy thrive.

The Butcher Shop is at 407 Main St. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays.

Moscow’s Mad Greek restaurant closes; owner hopes for future reopening

MOSCOW – Mad Greek is closing after a seven-year run in downtown Moscow.

“I’ve been dreading updating everyone, but I still haven’t won the lottery! Unfortunately I must move forward and sell,” according to a social media post of Mad Greek.

Anyone with serious interest can message the business for details about its space at 212 S. Main St. with a “prime location” with a “great rental price,” according to the post.

“It’s been a pleasure serving all of the customers over the years and meeting so many new people,” according to the post.

The hope is to reopen Mad Greek in some capacity in the future, according to a message from Mad Greek.

But that won’t be possible “until the economy adjusts and overhead prices come down (food costs),” according to the message.

As of the middle of last week, the customers had expressed their gratitude for the restaurant in more than 70 comments.

“We will miss you guys so much!” wrote one woman. “Best falafel and baklava.”

Another woman described it as “sad news! We ordered all of the food from you for my son’s ‘Covid’ wedding with just immediate family. The food was amazing and added a special touch to the experience! You will be missed!”

One man, who loved the gyros and seasoned fries, remembered how his dog liked the food so much that one night she stole his entire dinner from Mad Greek off his table.

In the time Mad Greek was in Moscow, it found itself thrust into the national spotlight after the homicide of four University Idaho students.

Two of the victims, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, worked at the restaurant. Following their deaths, an impromptu memorial formed outside with mourners leaving flowers. Bryan Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection with the November 2022 stabbing deaths.

Parejas Cellars closes in downtown Clarkston after six years of wine tasting

A winery was scheduled to have its last day in downtown Clarkston this weekend for reasons that are not clear.

Parejas Cellars posted last week on social media that it planned to close yesterday. Earlier it had indicated it was preparing to leave.

“Please stop in and share some of your favorite memories of times at the tasting room,” according to one of its social media posts.

“Almost everything in the tasting room is for sale, so please stop in, taste and take home any of the eclectic decor that has adorned the tasting room for all these wonderful years,” according to one of the posts. “Thank you for ANY support you can give at this challenging time Cheers!”

Parejas was founded by Mark Wysling in downtown Clarkston in 2018. At the time, he was making wine at facilities at Yakima Valley College in Grandview, Wash., where he was an adjunct professor. Until opening Parejas, he sold most of his wines directly to Seattle restaurants or created wines under other labels while maintaining a by-appointment-only tasting room in Grandview.

Become a money mastery mentor with free financial education program in Moscow

MOSCOW – Volunteers can become “Money Mastery Mentors” through a free three-semester course being offered through a University of Idaho Extension Latah County program.

The classes start in October and continue through December 2025. Participants start by learning skills such as budgeting, credit and debt management, banking, business marketing and event planning.

Then they volunteer 16 hours at elementary schools, high schools or extension events before practice teaching the content in classrooms. Those who complete the program will be qualified to teach additional classes in the region scheduled by the UI Extension office.

“You (will) have everything you need to empower our communities with financial tools,” according to promotional materials for the class.

Reservations for spots in the class are being accepted by emailing krichel@uidaho.edu before Sept. 15.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.