Once the hog butcher for the world, Chicago has now become a destination for outstanding food. It's true that you can still order a hearty pork-chop sandwich or a Maxwell Street Polish. But you can also eat world-class cuisine from celebrated chefs, get locally grown produce from neighborhood farmer's markets to cook at home, and explore all corners of the city for foodie finds brought together from around the world. The great food in Chicago relies on a tightly integrated web of food producers and suppliers who deliver the elements of your meal to those who prepare it. If you've eaten at neighborhood spots like Cafe Selmarie, Dorado, and Fiddlehead Cafe, or foodie faves like Alinea, Schwa, Custom House, and Boka, you likely have enjoyed a cut of meat from neighborhood supplier, JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat.
Dave Yourd and Karrie Kimble of JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat are a huge presence in Lincoln Square. Although their warehouse is down in Fulton Market, their office is right in the neighborhood. JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat is a small business that focuses on serving other independent businesses. "We sell hand-cut meat primarily to white-tablecloth, independently owned restaurants," explains Dave. He buys to order every day, either from meat producers in Fulton Market or from out-of-town producers if it's a more specialized item. All orders are stocked at the warehouse and then delivered by truck to customers daily. "We don't do meat cutting or production, but we partner with people who do," says Dave. "That way we devote our time to our customers, which means we can provide better service and better prices."
JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat develops a program of products for each customer based on their menu and needs. Just about the only thing that JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat doesn't provide is seafood. It offers cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, in addition to more exotic selections like ostrich, buffalo, bison, wild boar, elk, and venison. "We just delivered five pounds of kangaroo to a customer on Monday," says Dave.
Although Dave will source anything that his customers are looking for, his focus has lately been on natural foods from smaller producers. This is partly because the chefs who are his customers are interested in these foods, too. "We've been getting into more artisanal, heirloom breeds like Berkshire pork, for example, which is becoming more popular," explains Dave. "Right now a lot of chefs are following the European tradition of choosing locally produced foods, where having a low carbon footprint is as much a factor as the taste." Karrie, who does most of her shopping at the Lincoln Square Farmer's Market in the summer, says that's what they like to eat, too. "Eating more natural food happens to be a reflection of where we're at personally," she says. "Six months out of the year, I don't go to the grocery store except to buy milk." JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat is constantly looking for smaller, artisanal producers to buy from. For example, Dave buys lamb from a farm in Wisconsin that only offers small orders, but is popular with places like Charlie Trotter's and Frontera. "For the last year and a half, we've been seeking out smaller producers," says Dave. "We sometimes get some tips from our customers who'd rather that we deal with the farmers. But first we want to make sure that it's a always fair arrangement for the farmers and that they can get paid."
Unlike many of the big distributors it competes with, JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat really knows food. That's a big part of the service and value it offers to its customers. "One of the things I always wonder, is how can restaurants buy meat from the same place where they buy their toilet pucks?" laughs Dave. He has such a knowledge of different types and cuts of meat that he is able to work together with the chefs who are his clients to advise them about what to buy for their recipes. "I'm always so impressed how when a chef calls and explains what he's making, Dave can give advice about the best cut to use for flavor and to fit the price of the entree," recalls Karrie. "He knows the options so well that he can help the chefs." When he's not working, Dave cooks at home, watches cooking shows, and reads cooking magazines for ideas. And most importantly, he and Karrie eat at a lot of their customers' restaurants. Dave's favorite meats to cook are duck and rabbit, and he loves braising anything. Karrie, on the other hand, is a big fan of pork of all kinds. "Most respected chefs who I work with ask me questions," says Dave. "They're always looking to learn something and care about my opinion as a supplier."
It's been a long road and more than ten years of hard work to get to where Dave is today. Three generations of Dave's family have been involved in the meat business-his great uncle, his grandfather, and then his dad. In the 1970s, Dave's dad founded JDY, which he named after his initials (James Dixon Yourd). Dave came into the business when his dad died suddenly in 1995. "He had no life insurance, so we had to keep everything going or our family would be broke," explains Dave. His mom, Marilyn kept the business afloat for two years so that Dave could finish college. In the summers, he and his brother Jeff did all the deliveries with the company's one truck. When he finished school in 1997, Dave took the business over and bought out his mom and brother.
Today, JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat has expanded from a one-person operation to six trucks and eight employees. Karrie joined the team after leaving a successful career in fundraising. "I got a nonprofit MBA and I was running the development office at a small private school," says Karrie. "One night, Dave took me out to the Hopleaf for a heart-to-heart and convinced me to quit my job and work for JDY." So Karrie, a one-time vegetarian, jumped into working in the world of meat. "I actually hated eating meat until Dave's mom cooked me a rare prime rib one night," she says, "and it was so delicious that I started eating meat again. I think I never really had good meat before." Now Karrie is an invaluable part of the business who helps with the bookwork and customer service, as well as some promotional work. "When Karrie came on, she really helped me with running everything," explains Dave. "She keeps the business on track and takes care of a lot of things that I would never think to do. We really complement each other. She's a big reason why we've been able to expand." Even with her help, Dave still puts every ounce of his efforts into JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat. "Dave hasn't had a day of vacation since May 1997," says Karrie.
On a typical day for JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat, Dave gets up at 2:00am and starts processing the orders that came in the night before. Based on those orders, he creates itineraries for each of his drivers and then invoices the customers. When he's done at the office, he heads down to Fulton Market to pick up his customers' products, then brings it all back to his warehouse to sort and label for the delivery drivers. In an average day, his six drivers each drop off orders at about 30 different stops. And by the nature of what they sell, it's not quite as simple as delivering a UPS package. "It's a hard job," says Dave. "Our drivers are carrying 300 pounds of product on a two-wheeler down stairs that you wouldn't believe exist." Meanwhile, back at the office, Karrie answers the phones and takes customer orders, which actually kicks into high gear at about 10:00 to 11:00pm—long after Dave goes to bed so that he's able to rise again at 2:00am. Chefs are most likely to call after their dinner service has slowed down and they have time to take stock of what they need for the next day. "Yesterday we had 50 orders come in after 8:00pm and I had 65 messages to listen to when I got up at 2:00am," explains Dave. That's where Karrie really helps out with the business. She loves talking to the customers and has built a rapport with many of them.
Dave and Karrie somehow find time to stay involved and connected with the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Dave donates food for Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce events and Karrie has been a board member for the past couple years. Both contribute as much as they can. Neighbors who don't own restaurants but are interested in purchasing meat from JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat can take advantage of a few seasonal promotions offered throughout the year by giving Karrie a call and getting on their email list. "We sometimes offer Amish turkeys to local people around Thanksgiving," explains Karrie. "I sent out an email for Christmas and for Valentine's Day, too, about the meat we're promoting for each of those holidays."
JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat has earned most of its customers through word-of-mouth, which is a testament to the straight-up, fair, and no-nonsense way that Dave runs the business. He prefers to let the quality of his product and service speak for itself. Building loyalties with chefs is important to Dave, since they tend to stick with their suppliers when they find one they like. Chef Chris Stoye of Cafe Selmarie is a customer and fan of JDY's products. "I like that the business is local and very involved with the community," says Chris. "I also appreciate their personalized service. I feel comfortable working with them and trust their products." When Dave starts talking with a potential customer, the first thing he does is study the restaurant's menu. Based on what he sees, he'll bring samples and make recommendations for what the chef could add. "It's not our style to hound potential customers," explains Dave. "If we can help them, that's great."
It's obvious that both Dave and Karrie love what they do. "I really enjoy eating at all of our customers' fantastic restaurants and learning more about food," says Karrie. At least two times a week, they usually end up eating either at a customer's restaurant or a new location that they want to try out. For Dave, the best part of his job is exchanging ideas with his customers. "I love interacting with the chefs," he says. "I learn a lot from them. And when I can actually see an idea that I suggested appear on a menu—that's rewarding."
JDY, Inc. Wholesale Meat
773.561.7539
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