Meet our Operations Manager - Chris Demuth
At Marrow Detroit, our commitment to sustainable, locally sourced dining is brought to life by the vision and dedication of our team. We believe that knowing the people behind your food makes every bite more meaningful!
We recently caught up with Chris Demuth, Marrow Detroit Provisions’ Operations Manager. Chris has grown from our founding butcher team to the Supply Chain and Operations Manager, he shared the story of his journey with Marrow and what inspires him to keep up the good work everyday.
Photography by Taylor Higgins
Q: Chris, you've been with Marrow Detroit Provisions from the start. How did you get your foot in the door, and what made you want to join the team?
A: I loved working as one of Sarah’s sous chefs before she, Ping, and Amanda started designing Marrow. I fell in love with the culture she created and became interested in the whole-animal butchery that a woman who worked with us did day in and day out. After crashing my way through a handful of kitchen gigs I wasn’t ready for, I joined Marrow as the “sausage boy,” working hand-in-hand with the lead butcher to fill our case with unique sausages, cuts, and value-added products.
Q: You started as one of the original butchers. How did you end up as the Supply Chain & Operations Manager? What's been the most rewarding part of that journey?
A: I’ve always valued the message Marrow was forged with, and I'm gracious for the skills and ways I’ve grown while being a part of it. I think because that's one of the most desirable/rare qualities in a job or career, I’ve always wanted it to grow. If there’s somewhere that I can help make that happen for Marrow and its team, I want to be doing that. So, when we decided to move our recipes into USDA retail products, my interest moved with it, into the supply chain, working in a more impactful way with local producers and closer with small, scrappy USDA plants. All to produce something that would make us all proud. I think the most rewarding part(possibly hardest too) has been watching a handful of young gun butchers plugin, learn, and completely own and run with the foundation I helped build. I hope they have the same sentiments that have kept me around all this time.
Q: When we say "chef-crafted," what does that mean to you?
A: To me it means making a lot of sausage, eating it, and fielding unadulterated, candid feedback that can only be received(or given), from friends. Then, taking all that, applying it to a pursuit of excellence learned from fine-dining, scratch kitchens and competitive/mildly obsessive mindsets to continuously learn, evolve and improve until you(and everyone else) think it’s ready.
Q: Do you have a favorite product from Marrow Detroit Provisions? How do you like to use it in your own cooking?
A: Our Detroit Breakfast, or Maple Tarragon as it began. This recipe has been the grand-sire of so many of my favorites throughout the years, but I’ll admit, it’s my true fave. I love using it in sausage gravy. Over freshly baked, buttery biscuits w/ some old bay hot sauce and over-easy eggs…fuhgettaboutit.
Q: Sustainability is a big deal at Marrow Detroit Provisions. How do you bring sustainable practices into your daily operations and supply chain management?
A: Besides supporting the right people & practices, I‘d say security and consistent business helps everyone make decisions for their farms and families. Which in its own sense allows them to continue their efforts in more meaningful ways to uphold such practices. While on a relatively small scale, I think the endorsement of Marrow Detroit Provisions has a positive impact on getting that done.
Q: How has building direct relationships with our farm partners changed your perspective on butchery and product development?
A: While I constantly miss working on the butcher block and making sausage, I’ve gained a cool little nichey spot in between massively over-produced meat and handmade small-batch shop sausage. I’m constantly excited by the direction Marrow Detroit Provisions is headed and the amount I still have yet to learn in the hustle to get there. My overall perspective has changed very little, I want to make something that tastes exactly like it smells – Delicious.
