Not in Kansas anymore
May 12, 2011
Day three of my work at the James Beard Foundation Pop-up Store & Resturant is in full swing, and I use the term “work” loosely here — you saw the photos from yesterday! I’ve been sampling, selling and talking about beef with New Yorkers this week, and it has been a ball.
I’ll be heading back to Ohio shortly and will miss our next special guest at the store — American Angus Association board member Leo McDonnell and wife Sam will be traveling in to the Big Apple for “Cowboy Friday.”
Each week since the store opened in April, we’ve brought in Angus ranchers from across the country to share their production stories. They work next to incredible chefs, celebrated authors, television personalities, and other people and partners are working to create an entertaining and educational culinary extravaganza in Chelsea Market.
A couple weeks ago, Kansas cattlewoman Debbie Lyons-Blythe and her husband Duane were in the “Cowboy Friday” spotlight. I’ve always enjoyed following Debbie’s blog, Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch, so it was exciting to know such a talented agvocate would be representing our company in the city. Afterward, we got to chat with Debbie about her life’s work,her work life and why she and Duane left their kids and 250 cows in Kansas to talk beef in New York City. Enjoy!
You and your husband recently traveled to New York City for “Cowboy Friday” at JBF LTD. Why make such a trek – especially during such a busy time of year on the ranch?
Duane and I have a commitment to advocate for the beef industry. I write a blog and we connect with consumers whenever possible,but this was an excellent opportunity to connect with folks we have no other way of meeting.
What messages did you hope to convey about ranching and the beef industry?
Living in a big city can make it difficult to eat local and know who produces the food. Our goal was to show people the face of a rancher who grows the Certified Angus Beef ® brand they purchase at the grocery store or in a restaurant. Real people are taking great care of the cattle that earn the brand. We were able to talk about our family, how they help on the ranch – and that they are home feeding cattle and taking care of things while Duane and I were in New York.
Your closest neighbors have four legs and chew cud – a bit different from the big city scene. Could you describe your impressions of New York?
We were pleasantly surprised to see many examples of caring people. Of course we were a bit discomfited with lack of eye contact on the streets – but there were more people on one city block than living in all of White City, Kansas! We found New Yorkers to be interested in what we had to say and they asked great questions about what we do. There were so many accents and it was exciting to think we may have had an impact on international consumers as well.
It sounds like this experience taught you some things about city life as well as teaching city folk a thing or two about life on a ranch. Can you share some of what you discovered?
People were very excited about the beef samples. One small bite of CAB’s Prime Natural put many in sensory overload! A few folks reluctantly refused our samples because they weren’t eating red meat on Fridays before Easter. There was one man who said, “No, thanks!” and then returned a few minutes later and said, “Oh, heck, it’s Saturday somewhere!”
What’s the first thing you did when you arrived home?
We first had to thank our kids for doing an adult’s job … and then we had some fence fixing to do! Seems as soon as we left, the cattle decided to make a break for a weak spot in the fence. The herd bull tried to get to the heifers and the show cattle found a hole in their fence, too. Our teenagers had their hands full while we were gone!
We appreciate the time and effort your entire family put forth so you could join us in New York. We’re proud to work with you, and thankful you’re willing to share life stories with the rest of us! How can we return the favor?
Keep doing what you’re doing. Thank you very much for the opportunity to tell our story, to connect with consumers and to get to know the people behind the brand. They are top-notch individuals and we’re thrilled to have had the chance to meet.
To read more about Debbie Lyons-Blythe and Blythe Angus Ranch, click here. To keep up with the latest happenings on the ranch,visit Debbie’s blog: Life On A Kansas Cattle Ranch.
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