Extract
from Gourmet Traveler, May 1999.
Primary Produce Jaguar Promotion
VINCE GARREFFA
WHITE ROCKS VEAL
Twenty years ago, Calabrian-born butcher Vince
Garreffa and his wife Anne opened Mondo Di Carne
("World of Meat") in midland, 20 minutes drive from
Perth. "it was a roaring success." recalls Vince,
"People discovered they had a great continental
shop on their doorsteps."
Mondo Di Carne has since moved closer to central
Perth, and Vince has far more than your average
local butcher, with a factory producing high-quality
small goods, an Italian cooking school and catering
arm. He answers listeners' questions on Radio 6PR
as the "Nightline Butcher" and appears on the ABC
television. Under the White Rocks Veal label, he
distributes high-quality, organic, milk-fed veal
to leading Restaurants around the Country and Singapore.
"It's been a glorious 10 years," says Vince. "We've
really reached fantastic heights. Anne and I worked
in a restaurant at night to earn extra money to
get married. We realised no one was handling great
veal and used it as our flagship when we opened
our own butcher shop. Now the passion we had to
be the best veal supplier in Perth has grown to
all capital cities in Australia and I think the
Singapore market is going to be huge."
In the late Eighties, supplies of top-grade veal
dropped, as farmers couldn't get a profitable price
for their animals. "I was on a plane," says Vince,
"and sitting beside me was a farmer named David
Partridge who grew on his property, White Rocks.
I offered him a guaranteed price if he would sell
his veal to me. We were determined to make it the
Dom Perignon of veal. White Rocks Veal is grown
on milk, with no growth promoters or additives,
and is slaughtered at 16 weeks rather than four
to eight weeks. Because it is naturally grown, the
meat has a fantastic texture and little shrinkage
when cooked, so it has revolutionised the way chefs
can present veal."
"You can't do a jog without really loving it,"
adds Vince. "We work seven days a week in the food
industry and all our friends are food-related. Because
we enjoy it, it's helped us become a success and
we're thrilled to receive this award."
