Next, Next, Next Generation Lebanese Purveyor John Sayklay and Sons

The team, left to right: 
Jake, John (dad), and Nick Sayklay (photo courtesy of Bone-In-Butcher)

Next, next, next generation John Sayklay’s energy feels as big and vast as the Texas skies his family has thrived under since they moved from Lebanon to El Paso during the early part of the last century.   Their international savvy and sound practice was passed down from generation to generation. John solely developed his restaurant business knowing that the customers menu determines success and chefs  want unique product offering.   And these days you can count on a fifth generation of Sayklay’s because John’s sons Jake and Nick now operate the business with him.

Sayklay created JR & Sons Food Distribution with this practical background plus a passion for curating and creating unique blends of flavor in meat, poultry, and seafood in Texas and throughout the United States.  Knowing chefs’ needs for wanting to uniquely stand out with their menu offerings, John solely developed his business with the customers menu for success in mind.

And their most recent venture is the Bone-in-Butcher shop. In fact it was Jake who came up for the idea after he graduated from university of Dallas, aBaptist college.  John proudly tells the story.  “It’s funny because I’ve handled groceries, commodities, disposables but have always been enthralled with butcher shops to the extent that I’ve always wanted to have my own butcher shop.  This phase of the business came about when Jake reminded us that we as long as we were already selling to restaurants why don’t we do this retail as well.  We’ve been supplying restaurants for so many years, and now we are able to have the same high quality, specially sourced meats available to retail customers anywhere in the country.   We work with a commercial butcher who works with restaurants. ”

Bone-in-Butcher offers a home delivery retail system equal to food service delivery for restaurants, one that matches the finest quality products.   One look told us it was special when it arrived at our door.   John detailed what went into what we saw immediately when our box arrived:  “Everything is fresh in the Dallas market from our sources. Cut to order.  Rather than stocking these items, we bring them in on-demand. We are able to do this at a competitive price because of our relationships and pre-negotiated deals.

Beef products are hand selected and aged to perfection to ensure the highest quality standards are met.  The finest grain-fed beef is sourced from the top packers in the American Midwest in addition to pasture-raised, grass-fed, and all-natural options. Top suppliers ensure that the Bone-in Butcher Shop consistently stocks customers’ preferred brands while also being offered the most competitive pricing. USDA Prime, Wagyu, and Chairmans’ Reserve and Tyson are featured.

There is a staggering variety to choose from, starting with well known Prime, and select.  So, John says, “you have to go through and you have to find out what they have to sell and what they have to sell. Everyone has their own method of going to market; I’m kind of old school and there is no deviation:  Our premium choice is 1/3 above choice and 1/3 below premium.  We use wagyu gold, equivalent to prime beef. ”

The Sakeleys have enough knowledge to know which cuts are the best and most practical.  And they have an overall rigid guidelines put in place that all meat be:

• USDA inspected and BRC-certified meat plants; the finest grain-fed products sourced from the American Midwest
• Pasture-raised, grass-fed, and free-range options available
• Feature all natural and “never-ever” products

We do on-demand – ranch here in Texas for Wagyu.  We source all other cuts of beef on an individual basis from different places.  Remember, there was never a shortage of beef, just a shortage of labor to process.”

The company not surprisingly with a history of  lamb, in John’s words, “good domestic lamb is a staple of our culture. As children, we loved tenderloin of lamb, mixed with cracked wheat called Kibbeh, our version of steak tartare.  We grilled grape leaves and my mom cooked the traditional lamb shanks at the bottom of the pot — and we kids would compete for this part.  And we learned a very long time ago that every part of the animal from nose to tail that can be used is – from the now internationally popular lamb kabobs, to the parts part of it that can be ground, clean fat and gristle.

The day the meat comes in it is frozen and shipped out fresh in thermal insulated bag, to homes free of charge with ice gel bags.   And Bone-in-Butcher “ goes overboard with the dry ice ratio,” John reported.  “Since our product comes cryovac and vacuum- sealed for an extended life, which means it can store happily from 12-18 months in the freezer with no freezer burns.  As John reminded us, it is very different from purchasing even the finest beef in a supermarket and having to wrap and freeze it for the freezer.

For more information on the Sayklay company and how to order, please see //www.bone in butcher.com.