It takes two, part II

Charlie cooked and served over requests like:

“She wants the Pappardelle Boscaiola, but without the bacon.”

“Veal meatball walkin’ in.”

and “I need to see Erin on the fly.”

And Josh tagged a newborn calf.

“That’s all just good, preventative stuff,” the chef suggests as Charlie follows up with medicine. “Exactly,” Charlie answers. “We don’t want an infection setting in.”

After reuniting cow and calf, the two step back into the barn.

“Ever AI (artificially inseminate) a cow?” Charlie asks. Knowing full well the answer, “You ready? Let’s do it.” 

“I feel like Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs,” Josh says while pulling a glove over the steer tattoo on his forearm. It wasn’t actually time to AI but the chef got the idea.

“We want to keep semen at 98 degrees, just like your body temperature, so stick that down your shirt,” Charlie says, showing what ranchers will do in cold weather.

The two laughed about the “glamorous” life that’s not always shown in the films.

Josh would pet the Boyds’ favorite cow Abigail later in the morning before running the feed truck.

“It would be hard to even put a value on how much customers will appreciate this,” he says. “They love it and it brings them back.”

Hours later, back at the restaurant, a diner asks about the picture he saw of Josh on the farm. “The rancher’s actually here: that’s him,” Josh says as Charlie appears from the kitchen, orders in hand.

“The detail of the plating, it’s amazing,” Charlie says.

“Seeing the passion you and your family have for the cattle, that means the world to me,” Josh replies.

The evening’s come to an end and the duo ask for a picture with a thumbs-up to show the success of the day.

It takes two, and they’re certainly a better team because of it.

Thanks for allowing me to tell your story,

Laura

PS – If you’re just checking in, be sure to catch up with yesterday’s part I. If you liked this Trading Places story, here’s another series on a North Dakota restaurateur, rancher and chefs.

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