The trajectory of Brandon Fiorino and Jon McDonald’s lives has taken an interesting path — from living as vegetarians to embracing meat later on, then entering the world of butchery.

Now, they’ve embarked on a new chapter in their journey as butchers, opening their first-ever shop in the village of St. Davids.

Theodore’s Artisan Butchers, located on York Road, opened its doors to the public on Oct. 29.

A visit to the shop reveals a straightforward layout: a menu behind the counter lists cuts from beef to sausage, and a fridge beside the register displays striploin, ribeye and other professionally prepared meats.

Behind that simplicity, they say, is years of skill and hard work, with a focus on quality and distinctive products.

“We take pride in the fact that we dry age all of our steaks,” McDonald said. “It’s not every place that will do that for you.”

Their route to opening a Niagara-on-the-Lake butcher shop wasn’t typical.

McDonald grew up in a family of hunters and fishers but eventually chose vegetarianism over concerns about large factory farms.

He later saw another option.

“I realized you can get from smaller farms that weren’t these huge factories,” he said. “That’s how I got into doing this.”

Both owners continue to buy from small local farms, including Fenwood Farm in Ancaster for chicken and Beverly Creek in Millgrove.

Fiorino became a vegetarian in high school but shifted back to eating meat after moving to Toronto in “2011 or 2012.” He worked at a vegetarian restaurant at the time.

“I slowly just started to crave meat again,” he said.

The pair began their butchery careers in Toronto, often juggling other jobs while honing whole-animal butchery skills over the past seven years.

McDonald worked at a veterinary clinic and taught himself butchery through online videos to save money on meat. His girlfriend encouraged him to pursue it full-time.

Fiorino was working at N’Awlins, a New Orleans–style restaurant that closed during the pandemic. After it shut down, McDonald told him about an opening at a butcher shop.

Over time, they built enough confidence to venture out on their own.

“I think we came to a point in both of the places we were working that we have a lot of knowledge, a lot of skill, and we might as well do something for ourselves,” Fiorino said. “I think that’s what really was the driving factor to this.”

They chose NOTL because Fiorino’s parents live in Chautauqua and he noticed the area lacked a butcher shop.

“It was convenient for both of us that we could open a place here,” McDonald said. “People here, it seems like, are very food-conscious and interested in their food and all that, too.”

Construction near York Road and Four Mile Creek has slowed business recently. McDonald said their first two weeks were busier than the past week, but he’s optimistic things will return to normal once the work wraps up on Nov. 28.

“It’s manageable,” he said. “People are pretty nice around here.”

Overall, they say business has gone well and the community has been welcoming.

“We’ve had lots of return customers,” McDonald said. “They do seem to see the difference in the higher quality product that we bring in compared to larger farms.”