VG Blog

Earlier this summer, VG Meats hosted a fundraiser BBQ in support of Butchery Team Canada. In case you missed it: One of our longtime butchers, Dave Vander Velde, is going to Paris, France next spring to compete in the World Butchers Challenge. We’re incredibly proud of Dave and will be supporting his trip in a variety of ways, but there are a lot of costs associated with traveling to France for the competition. In order to further support Dave and get the entire VG Meats community involved, we hosted a BBQ and donated the grand prize—$1000 worth of aged prime rib and a custom cutting session with Dave himself!

Another long weekend is here, and we’re ready to make it a great one. Sunshine (mostly) in the forecast, plenty of downtime to enjoy with family and friends, and some delicious meals served hot off the grill—what else could you want for a summer holiday?

We haven’t hit peak corn season in Ontario just yet—that’ll be sometime in late August—but that hasn’t stopped us from enjoying some of this year’s early harvest. After all, a perfectly steamed cob of corn with butter and salt is a summer classic! We just couldn’t wait. And since local corn will be getting even better in the coming weeks, we decided to share some of our favourite local food pairings.

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through summer already? It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it—we know it’s ‘summer forever’ in some of your hearts—but we did want to offer some seasonal reminders, news from our retail locations and a word of gratitude from the entire VG Meats team.

Ontario has incredible produce (asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, salad greens, summer squash, cucumbers and more) and VG Meats is proud to offer exceptional Ontario beef, poultry and pork products year round. In the summer months, though, we get to offer a few extras: pasture-raised chicken, farm-fresh duck eggs and now, our pasture-raised duck.

There’s nothing like a community BBQ on a hot July day—and we’ve got a great reason to celebrate, so we’re hosting one at VG Meats in Stoney Creek on Saturday, July 13th!

While every long weekend is something to look forward to, the July long weekend feels extra special to a lot of Canadians. We’re so fortunate to live in this beautiful country, and grateful for all it has to offer.

When it gets this hot, we do everything we can to keep our homes cool and comfortable—and that means leaving the oven and stove top off as much as possible. Nobody needs extra heat on days like this! Grab an ice cold drink, fire up the BBQ and keep those high temps outside.

Traditional Father’s Day celebrations often include a backyard BBQ—a great idea, if you ask us! Here are a few thoughts ahead of the weekend—we hope to see you in our Simcoe or Stoney Creek retail location soon.

With Father’s Day coming up in less than two weeks, we’ve got steak on our minds. But we’re also thinking about the World Butchers Challenge, which will be taking place in Paris, France in March 2025. While the competition is almost a year from now, planning is already well underway.

Between the May long weekend, these gorgeous late spring days, the delicious Ontario produce we’ve been enjoying lately and plenty of home-cooked meals cooked on the BBQ, it’s beginning to feel a lot like summer here in southern Ontario. June is just days away and by this time next month, we’ll be enjoying the Canada Day long weekend. There’s a lot going on in the interim—here are a few tips and reminders to help you get ready for summer. We hope to see you in Simcoe or Stoney Creek soon!

The first long weekend of the season is finally here, and we’re ready to enjoy it! The current forecast has us feeling pretty optimistic (it’s calling for some clouds, but no rain) and our fingers are crossed for the kind of beautiful late spring weather that calls for a hammock or Muskoka chair. After all, there’s only so much yard work a person can do!