As I weave in and out of the crowds at the downtown farmer’s market I finally reach my destination, the Dai Due butcher shop tent. With a growing hunger and a definite caffeine withdrawal I was eager to get some food from the uber talented Chef Jesse Griffiths and his team, that’s right UBER talented.

Every Saturday from 9-1 the Dai Due team is downtown making up delicious tacos, tortas, sandwiches and selling some of their famous sausage, charcuterie and condiments from an ever evolving seasonal menu.

I ordered the torta and a café from chef Jesse himself and grabbed a nearby park bench to devour it!

With chorizo verde, egg, refried beans, cortido and crema, I was in heaven. This bad boy was IN-CRE-DI-BLE!

A few days later, back in the kitchen, I was able to steal a few moments of Jesse’s time to have a chat. In between the weekly butchery and a taco break we talked two of my loves; hunting and food!

1. When was your first hunting trip, what were you hunting?

• “It was about seven years ago, I was out hunting Dove’s. I used a 20-guage full choke shotgun and bagged one bird. It was good that I bagged a bird my first time out, because it brought me back. The next few dove hunts I didn’t bag any so it made the first one even better.”

2. What is one of your most memorable hunts?

• “I went on a three day duck hunt a while back and it was incredible, because I finally felt “on.” I was at a nearby river and felt I was learning more everyday- I took good time to scout a good location and was setting up and calling well. My duck hunting confidence grew a lot that weekend.”

3. What’s your favorite game to hunt? To eat?

• “To eat, definitely Ferrel pig. It is so diverse, I usually slow roast it overnight at 200-225 degrees and it is delicious. To hunt, probably duck or snipe.”

4. What is your essential kitchen tool?

• “A good cast iron pot.”

5. What is your guilty food pleasure?

• “Mexican coke and tacos. Tacos are my Kryptonite!”

6. What would be your dream hunt?

• “Probably upward game with Jim Harrison”

7. What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

• “Shoot the first pig that comes in, because you never know when another will come.”

That advice could translate well into life don’t you think? Take chances as they come to you, because you never know what the future holds.

As I leave the kitchen that day, I am a bigger fan than I was before if that is even possible. For someone so successful and talented, when talking with Jesse it’s like talking to an old friend. Just shootin’ the sh… well you know.

Just like he is talking to a friend, in his cookbook Afield, Jesse shares beautiful stories of hunting in a sustainable way- using what mother nature has provided you as a pantry and sharing the daily bounty with friends and neighbors.

“Dai Due regni di natura, piglia il cibo con misura.” “From the two kingdoms of nature, choose food with care.” That is the motto of chef and hunter Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due Butcher Shop and a great representation of Chef Jesse himself!