Naše maso opens a second location: Holešovice market is a mecca for butchers, says Adam Zlatohlávek
Taking a stand for quality meat
Your journey to Ambiente started here, in Lokal Dlouhááá, where we met for a chat, right?
That's right. It started here, at table number 110 in the so-called non-smoking area, where there is an engraving on the wall of the International Hotel, where I used to work. My friends and I used to meet here because we were bothered by the cigarette smoke - it stank everywhere at the time, because you could still smoke in pubs. And I was drinking my sorrows because I was having a bad time. Dominika Fleková was the manager then. She listened to me and suggested I try working at Ambiente.
Where did you go?
I initially applied to Čestr. But then the Ambiente office told me that they were opening a new business that I would fit well with. I met the butchers František Kšána and Jirka Michal, and we opened Naše maso. They showed me Jenč, where the Amaso is based, and I had my initial month of training at Ambiente.
What was the vision behind Naše maso?
The original plan was simple: people would buy meat, and have something to eat straight away. As a kid from a butcher family, I was pretty incredulous. I thought, "They must be crazy, who's going to buy this?" For example, we offered pork belly for 200 crowns, when previously I'd only seen it for 69 crowns.
Did it work right from the start despite the higher prices?
Yeah, it caught on right away. I started on the grill. I've always enjoyed cooking, so I was happy to take it up. My colleagues and I came up with recipes that we still use today - like tartare with basic ingredients or a burger in a plain bun. People were thrilled that they could choose meat straight from the counter and we would grill it for them right away. It's a simple idea, but it works great.
Was the draw also the aged meat, which was previously unknown?
Huge. Aged meat hadn't really been around on our gastro scene before. Anyone who's tasted it knows right away that the taste is completely different. And even though I had worked in good companies - for example, in the restaurant in Obecní dum, where I had the opportunity to see all kinds of delicacies - it was only at Ambiente that I experienced aged meat for the first time in the Czech Republic.
Have you been working as a butcher since you started school?
Yes, I started in a butcher's shop in Globus, then I moved to my brother-in-law's in Ďolíček near Bohemka. I also worked as a butcher at the International Hotel, but it was more about the fancy stuff - pâtés, preparations for banquets, liver wrapped in bacon. But at Ambiente, it's really a different take on butchery, I would say more elevated. It is also related to communication, which I have developed a lot here - and for that I am still thankful. The biggest benefit is the way the salesman talks to the customers. The fact that he recommends, explains or even teaches them something.
So how has your approach to the customer changed over time?
Today I see that nothing is a problem. It's already changing, but eleven years ago, the approach to the customer was not great, whereas at Naše maso the bar was high from the beginning. If I see someone is going to make a sirloin and I have time, I'm happy to prepare the meat for them. I'd like to crisp it up, salt it, pepper it and wrap it up. The customer could do it in 45 minutes, I can do it in one.
How has your role at Naše maso changed in that time?
Since I've had Fanda (Ksana, ed.) around, I'd get behind the counter only a couple of times. Before, it used to be Fanda's place, he was the only one selling. Then Jirka Michal moved from behind the scenes to the front of the store, he also knew how to talk nicely about meat with people. And I was the third, and I stayed there.
On communication and bestsellers
Did you always enjoy communicating with people, or did you have to find your own way?
I love it when something works like a well-oiled machine. I like to keep things moving. I've found a happy medium in that - I talk while I work and I'm done in no time. I want the customer to be happy, but I also want them to check out quickly when I have a line in the store. I like to talk to people, get to know the "regulars", and even chat with some of them. The atmosphere in the butcher's shop is pleasant.
So you have customers coming back and you already know what they want?
Yeah, sometimes it's a bit embarrassing, because they come in and I'm like, "Well, are we going to do 250g of ham again today?" (laughs)
Do customers like to take advice?
99.9% yes. For example, at Christmas they want meat for schnitzel, in the summer they want meat for the grill. Often they don't know exactly what it should be, so I have to do a bit of research to find out what's right for them. For example, a customer comes in for a beef steak, but a steak can also be pork. And that's when I like to recommend - it's nice when people don't stick to anything and they're looking for variety. On the other hand, when they have no idea, communication is a little harder.
Are people willing to pay extra for quality, despite the rising price of meat?
I'm sure. My friends sometimes call me to say they have to show off somewhere. (laughs) People are about the experience as well - they want to do a good job in the kitchen at home and they know that they need quality ingredients.
What is the biggest seller at Naše maso?
I always say that our flagship product is Prague ham. But sometimes it is followed by the stewed ham, because it is lighter and not so distinctive. But our Prague ham is great, you can't find it anywhere else. It's bone-in and it's a lot of work. Our sausages are also very popular.
And as for dried specialties and meat lots?
Customers come in a lot for jerky beef and shoulder cuts. I love these products too. As far as meat is concerned, at the beginning I knew only sirloin and roast beef, but we also have many others. Thanks to the fact that Amaso lets them mature, they're the perfect steak lot. And not to forget my favourite - chops they're really good.
Even foreigners visit Naše maso. How do their wishes differ from those of Czech customers?
Czechs reach for classics and tradition, like Prague ham. Foreigners, on the other hand, come for what they know from home, so they often want a steak or a burger. But I'm always pleased when I manage to convince a guest who wants the meat fully cooked to try something different - for example medium or medium rare. And then when they shake my hand when they leave and tell me that it was the best meat they've ever tasted, that's the highest praise for me.
Have you noticed any meat trends lately?
I can think of Andula, that's a kind of spicy pate. I don't know what it is, but two years ago hardly anyone here knew it, and nowadays even the better restaurants offer risotto with it.
Have any of the recipes changed over time?
No. Even in the three best-selling dishes - tartare, burger and meatloaf - the recipe has remained the same since the beginning.
When I come to andoula, it's almost always a rush. How hard is it to organise a shift to keep everything running?
It's always a challenge, but I enjoy it. Sometimes it's harder, like during the summer holidays when more than half of the people on the shift are temps, but everything can be worked out. When I see after two weeks that a temporary worker has improved, it's a great reward for me.
Holešovice market and the birth of the new location
A branch of Naše maso recently opened in Holešovice. When you were offered the chance to run it, did you hesitate? Did you have a moment to think about it?
Radek (Head of Naše maso Radek Chaloupka, editor's note) suggested to me some time ago if I would like to try a new challenge and move a bit further within Ambiente. It was clear to me that it would be very difficult, because I know the place and habit is an iron shirt. But I also had a feeling that maybe I was getting a bit small here. And then he came up with giving me the confidence to open a new butcher shop.
How did it happen that Holešovice Market was chosen?
It's been four or five years in the making. It's a city contract, so we had to wait for various permits and so on. I'm very excited about the Holešovice Market, it's a mecca for butchers. Now it's looking better and better every year, and the HolKa footbridge has made it much more accessible, there are events there too. The place has a lot of potential. There are similar places in other big cities and people like to go there. The new butcher shop will offer comfort for customers and staff. In the old shop, there's not much space, but here there's comfort.
What are the similarities and differences between the two locations?
The seating is standing. (laughs) There are only a few seats inside, but there are a lot of seats outside. Holešovice is a nice place - trees, a courtyard in the middle, which connects Naše maso, the Myšák pastry shop and the restaurant Skô. Eventually, there should be an e-shop window of Naše maso too.
Is there more space to work in Holešovice? After all, the first shop space is tiny.
When we designed the butcher's shop, we assumed that if I needed a larger quantity of a certain raw material, I would have to go to the cutting room. And the route has to be direct, easy. So in Holešovice, we came up with the idea that the display case will form one wall and be accessible to both the butcher and the vendor. For the customer, it means that they can see through the display case into the cutting room. There is also a sausage slicer that one of the employees is working on. All the clerks have things much more to hand here, so we wanted to simplify the work.
Is the selection different?
The assortment is the same as in the Dlouhá street shop, but we'll gradually add different specialties. We'll see if we can smoke outside. In the beginning, we want to be sure of what we are doing. Then we can move forward.
Do you have a kiosk for ordering?
It's a big help, so yes, we have one in Holešovice.
What about retail?
We have that, even a shop window like the one at the back of the arcade in Dlouhá. When a customer comes to the Holešovice branch, they see a counter with pastries that will be constantly replenished, and a display case where they can choose from prepared meats such as marinated steaks or roast beef. It's handy when you're going to your cottage, for example, and you don't have to worry about prep at home. The counter is our display case, so you won't see the pre-packaged goods on it.
And the food menu?
This will be the same as at the first shop. I'd like to gradually expand it to include tafelspitz, a thick soup with big chunks of vegetables, toast and turkey. But we want to make it more "Czech" and put pearl barley in it.
St. Bartholomew and visions for the future
What have you learned from the process?
Well, you have to always not only trust, but verify and look at everything with unbiased eyes. It is also important to talk and listen - this opened up some previously unknown centres in my mind.
You have about 15 people on your team. Can you introduce them to me?
The chef is Tomáš Jeníček, who worked for a while at Naše maso and later at Grils. My right hand man, the deputy manager, is my colleague and friend Martin Zavoďan, who was the chef at Naše maso in Dlouha. He also helps me with administrative matters - shift schedules and so on - and I have time to focus more on the shop floor. Honza Valenta took over as head chef, a calm person who brings peace to the team, but also likes order.
What should the guests of the new Naše maso associate with butchery?
Comfort. They will come and, if the weather is nice, spend a pleasant time outside in the courtyard. They won't be confined like they would be in a backyard restaurant because the market is an open space. In the future, we want to host a lot of events and get an outdoor grill. We liken it to Dva kohouti brewery...but in a meat-centric way.
What do you enjoy most about Naše maso in Holešovice?
That there's comfort for employees too. We have an office on the first floor and a well-designed facility - divided locker rooms, server room... I'm also looking forward to working on the details. And not to forget, I really like the interior. I have one thing that I hinted to Mr. Pleskot (Josef Pleskot, the architect of Naše maso, ed.) - I told him that I would like to have a statue of the patron saint of butchers. We then went to Poland, to a church shop in Czestochowa. There, a sixty-centimeter St. Bartholomew was made to order, standing by the counter. We even had it blessed by the parish priest to give it a stamp of approval.
What's your message to someone considering a job as a butcher?
It's good, and always moving. People don't want to sit in an office anymore, they want a bit of action. I think even apprentices are being treated differently now. And being a butcher doesn't mean you're just going to be a demolition worker, you can also be creative. That's the great thing about our profession. If you're teachable and you're passionate, you'll enjoy this trade.
And what do you like to do when you're not at Naše maso?
Relax, be with with my family or do sports. I play music. And I like to eat, I love sweets. (laughs)
