Our Founders & Ethos
A haven for all of your traditional cuts as well as pre-made specialty items such as sausages, pate, dry-aged beef, and charcuterie. Our work is a celebration of flavor. Come experience it for yourself.
Our Founders
Kevin Smith, co-founder of Beast & Cleaver, grew up in South East London, where he developed a deep appreciation for the whole-animal approach to butchery and cooking. Kevin, alongside his wife Polly, opened Beast & Cleaver in 2019.
Their vision was to create the best of both worlds: a whole-animal butcher shop sourcing from the finest local farms and a small, neighborhood restaurant that embraces sustainability by utilizing everything customers don’t typically buy—off-cuts, organs, skin, head, bones, and more—without ever compromising on flavor.
Beast & Cleaver has been celebrated as one of Seattle’s top dining spots by The Seattle Met, Eater, and Infatuation. In 2023, Kevin was honored with a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Emerging Chef.
Ethos
Since day one, Beast & Cleaver has been rooted in ethical, local sourcing and eco-friendly food practices. We source over 90% of our products from the Pacific Northwest, partnering with farms that prioritize heritage breeds, sustainable animal husbandry, and regenerative farming.
Our commitment to seasonality means you’ll only find animals in our butcher shop when they’re naturally available. We carefully vet our farms, considering everything from what animals are fed to how that feed is grown and treated.
As a whole-animal butcher, we strive to use every part of the animal, minimizing waste through our charcuterie and food programs. By transforming off-cuts, organs, skin, head, and bones into delicious offerings, we honor the lives that sustain us.
Our food is a celebration—not just of exceptional flavor, but of local farmers, responsible practices, minimal waste, and the beauty of seasonal eating.