WHICH CAME FIRST,
THE CHICKEN OR THE CAGE?

For Ira Klineschmidt, builder and proprietor of urban chicken tractors, the answer is chicken. “It’s my son’s fault, really,” he says, a smile tugging at his goatee. “He’d been on me about a pet for a year or two, and…” And? He trails off, allowing that perhaps chickens aren’t the most obvious choice for pet. Especially not in anti-chicken Sarasota, where it is illegal to keep farm animals. Not that that has stopped anyone: since starting coop production last year, Ira has sold 13 of ‘em. Ira Junior researched the how tos of owning hens while Senior, a former Wisconsin farm boy, tackled the cage. He needed something that would allow the chickens room to maneuver leisurely, lay eggs comfortably, and keep them safe from predators. He came across a Swiss A-frame design, basically a giant trapezoid cut in two along the horizontal, the bottom half of which provides the birds with a caged in eating/grazing/socializing area, while the upper wood-paneled roost is where they sleep and lay their eggs. Ira added a recycled bike tire to the design to make the coop portable, like a tractor. They come in three different sizes, depending on your quantity of hen, and upgrades such as motion-sensing lights and reflective stealth panels (to keep too-nosy neighbors at bay) are available. A basic two-to-five chicken tractor runs $300, while the palatial 10-to-15 domicile costs $500.

Moving his eight chickens (two each of four different breeds) three times a week gives them fresh grass to poke at for grubs and fertilize with their waste (chicken manure is prized only behind bat guano by farmers); “They turn the soil, aerate the grass, and mow my lawn,” he says. But wait, aren’t chickens noisy? Don’t they cluck and scratch and peck? And aren’t they smelly? Turns out, no. While there was a constant stream of contented chicken-y noises, it was no louder than a couple of prowling cats. In fact, the Klineschmidt’s backyard coop is something of a neighborhood attraction; kids come to hang out and watch the chickens, while parents return any escaped birds. And neither Ira reported any battle scars; “[being pecked] doesn’t hurt,” says Junior, a fifth grader at Wilkinson Elementary. He adds: “They’re cool.”

Ira lets the chickens out of the cage, and they begin milling about, pecking here and there, digging for termites and grubs. He goes inside for a moment and comes back out with a dozen eggs. Add nigh-daily eggs to the companionship and free lawn service, and you can see why there is a growing cause to change chicken’s status as a city resident (see: Sarasota C.L.U.C.K., Citizens Lobbying for Urban Chicken Keeping). “Every homestead should have some sustainability,” Ira says as he hands me the carton. I walk back to my car, eggs in hand, chickens following behind.

For more information please visit
www.urbanchickentractors.com

—Max Lando

A CUT ABOVE THE REST

Scott McGowan loves satisfied customers. He works at least 60 hours every week at his family’s business to make sure he sees plenty of them. The Butcher’s Block, opened in 1968 by Scott’s father, Stan McGowan, spent 35 years on Siesta Key before moving to N. Lockwood Ridge Road and 17th Street in Sarasota.

Scott started cutting meat by his father’s side when he was just 14. Stan still works nearly every day at the store, except when he travels to Ireland twice a year. The entire family is involved, including Stan’s son Chad, his daughter Lorie Parker and her husband John. Even Scott’s 11-year-old son, Cole, helps out.

The Butcher’s Block used to be a neighborhood store, now people come from all areas of Sarasota and Bradenton to get a large selection with a neighborhood feel. It has also become a favorite of seasonal visitors.

“We provide caring, personal customer service,” says Scott. “I love when I can give a customer a prime cut of beef and pair up a nice bottle of wine and a cheese that perfectly compliments their meal.”

The Butcher’s Block carries only USDA prime meat and maintains a selection of over 1300 wine labels. They specialize in home-made dinner entrées to go such as lasagna and meatloaf, as well as home-made soups, all created by Mary Spath, who has been with the McGowan’s for nine years.

One of the most interesting things inside the Butcher’s Block is the wine cave Scott built using concrete, natural stone flooring and light fixtures made from wine crates. The McGowan family holds everything from meetings to wine dinners with a private chef in the cave, as well as provide wine storage in personal wine lockers.

“Many of their out-of-state customers store their wine with us,” says Scott. “It’s very convenient for them since we’re here early and we leave late.”

The second Tuesday of every month, the Butcher’s Block holds a wine tasting at 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome, and, at $10 per person, it’s a great way to sample 35 different wines and mingle with other food and wine lovers.

The staff will also create gift baskets for local delivery using select items from their meat case, wine cellars and gourmet items and wine can be shipped throughout the United States with a 10 percent discount per case.

The Butcher’s Block: 3242 17th Street, Sarasota; 941-955-2822
www.thebutchersblocksite.com

—Aimee Chouinard

SPOIL YOUR SKIN

I remember coming home as a little girl after a long morning playing on the beach under Israel’s blazing sun. My mother took one look at my back, took out a pot of natural yogurt from the refrigerator and slathered it onto my aching skin. My nose would get a gentle dab of aloe from the plant she grew on our kitchen windowsill. It always worked a treat. It’s not that we couldn’t afford to buy fancy ‘after-sun’ cream but rather that we preferred to use natural ingredients at our fingertips. Sandra Charbonneau and her mother, Regina Corrigan, share a similar philosophy with their all natural skincare company, SanRe Organic Skin Food.

“We grew up in rural Lithuania where our food was always fresh and my mom made her own skin care products,” said Sandra as she pulled out her cocoa lip balm. “When we moved to the states I was at first so excited that our groceries lasted so long, but when I started digging and researching all the additives and preservatives that are often used we quickly changed our food habits. Every meal I cook is from scratch made with organic produce.” It wasn’t too long after that Sandra and Regina looked into their own skincare products and were shocked to see dozens of ingredients that were linked with cancers and those which you would never consider putting in your body, like parabens and petrochemicals. “After all,” said Sandra, “your skin absorbs about 60% of what you put on it, especially in hot places like Florida where your pores are even more open, so why not feed it well?” I sat at our interview over coffee and quietly looked at the list of ingredients I wrote down that were listed on the back of my own face cream, which I must admit I was addicted to after being convinced at the department store make-up counter that my skin will karate-kick any pollutants and sun rays that are looking for a fight. I handed the list over to Sandra and nearly choked when she said, with her eyes almost about to explode, “this is toxic! Throw this out as soon as you get home!” I obeyed.

Determined to create safe, effective products Regina quit her job as a dental hygienist, her husband Andre quit his job as a lawyer, and Regina hers as an anesthesiologist. Now working out of their Sarasota lab, the team has whipped up an impressive line of products ranging from eye creams and cocoa masks, to daily face moisturizers, and body creams, to mention just a few. Most importantly they use the highest quality of cold-pressed, unfiltered oils and therapeutic grade herbs, as well as zinc oxide to block damaging UVA and UVB rays. Unlike a lot of major commercial brands, SanRe doesn’t have preservatives so their tip is to open their products up and use them as you would fresh food, don’t store them away in medicine cabinets. “You have to do the right thing even if it’s more costly for you,” said Regina when discussing their slow but steady growth as a company, “we don’t compromise on our ingredients.”

I have to say the Supple Sunshine day-cream has been a treat to use, and for once it feels like my skin can breathe while still being protected from the sun. I even use the cream on my kids when out and about because like any mom, I want what’s safe for my kids and trust the ingredients.

SanRe Organic Skinfood: 877-755-0203
www.sanreorganic.com

—Viktoria Warren