In Montreal, where smoked meat is a religion and bagels are a rite of passage, there is one thing you learn young: good food is never cheap. But kosher meat operates on another plane entirely, somewhere between “Are you kidding me?” and “Does this cow come with a PhD?”
Walk into any kosher butcher in town, whether on Côte des Neiges, Park Avenue, or Saint Laurent, and you will see brisket that could feed a battalion, lamb chops lined up in perfect rows, and chicken that looks ready for Shabbos. But as you move toward the counter, something rises faster than a well baked challah. The total.
Now someone is trying to disrupt the system. In March, Mendy Boyarsky will open Aleph Meats in the former J&R Butcher Shop location at The Cavendish Mall.
In an interview that aired Wednesday night on The Howie Silbiger Show on Truetalkradio.com, Boyarsky said his shop, certified under the KSR Rabbinat de Quebec, will operate differently from other kosher butcher shops. He insists it will not be driven solely by profit but by a commitment to ensuring that the Montreal Jewish community has access to affordable meat. His belief is simple. If he lowers prices, others will have no choice but to follow.
Boyarsky has enlisted Sidney Nemes, former owner of J&R Meat, to oversee the butchers and assist with supply. All meat will be imported from Buenos Aires under strict kosher supervision. The shop will also feature prepared foods and other kosher offerings.
When asked why he chose KSR certification, Boyarsky said the MK was not a good fit. He accused the MK of being complicit in allowing kosher meat prices to rise and referred to Mehadrin Meat as a monopoly, saying it is currently the only MK certified company permitted to import and kasher meat.
Montreal will have to wait another month. But with rib steaks topping one hundred dollars per kilo and ground beef pushing past thirty two, patience is running thin.
If Boyarsky delivers on what he is promising, this will not just be another butcher shop opening. It will be a test of whether the kosher meat market in this city has been dictated by necessity or by comfort. For years, families have adjusted, stretched, downgraded, and quietly absorbed the cost. Now someone is challenging the structure itself.
If prices move, we will know why. And if they do not, we will also know why.
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