“I took a break then and started smoking meat,” Kuhlmann said.
He landed another job in sales, but his interest in smoking meat and butchering lingered. He was curious about how to take an entire cow and turn it into precisely cut New York strip steaks.
That’s when Kuhlmann’s next career began. He asked the staff at Luigi’s Olde World Market in West Chester if he could learn how to be a butcher.
“I stopped in and said I wanted to learn the trade,” Kuhlmlann said. “I would come in after work to learn about it. I learned how to make sausage and then how to cut different types of meat.”
About six months later, Kuhlmann had the opportunity to buy the store and in July he opened Kuhlmann’s Fine Meats and Market.
“We retained all of the employees and many of the staple items,” Kuhlmann said.
The store is a full service butcher and market with a variety of local items in stock.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“We sell everything from Amish chicken breasts with no antibiotics to filets, New York strips, all beef and pork cuts; we make our own sausage,” Kuhlmann said. “We offer marinated chicken, boneless stuffed pork chops, we have a full lunch menu and everything is made fresh.”
The more popular items are the homemade sausages and the Philly cheesesteak pinwheel which features mild banana peppers, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and provolone cheese wrapped in a flank steak.
The market also makes its own goetta and stocks items from local producers like 16 Bricks bread, That Dam Jam and Spice Spice Baby among others.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“We’ll have produce in season and sell beer and wine,” Kuhlmann said. “We do catering and that includes everything from weddings to corporate events or nice meal at home.”
Kuhlmann grew up in Colerain and now lives in Liberty Twp. with his wife and their two children.
“This has all been an adventure,” Kuhlmann said. “I have ultra supportive employees with a lot of experience. Just because I’m the owner doesn’t mean I don’t take ideas. I want your ideas. Everyone here has a vested interest.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
More details
What: Kuhlmann’s Fine Meats and Market
Where: 9480 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester Twp.
Online: kfmcatering.com
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