Chef Nate Whitley and Remi Courcenet are passionate about feeding their gastronomic vision: a retail specialty food business. The team behind Terroir Butchery + Wine have proven that you don’t need a place in order to create a sense of place. Instead, they rely on their ingenuity and their local connections with area farmers and ranchers to do what they do best — creative artisan and specialty foods characteristic of Idaho’s own unique terroir.

By partnering with Hyde Park Wine Shop, Terroir Butchery & Wine is able to fill a culinary niche in the Boise community with their artisanal food products (sold online), as well as operating a popular Supper Club that serves up delectable, locally sourced, seasonal menu items three times a week. 

ter·roir  /terˈwär/Noun
A sense of place; the combination of factors including soil, climate, altitude, and sunlight that gives (a crop) its distinctive character.

Merriam-Webster

A Little History.
The co-owners of Terroir Butchery & Wine had a long working relationship at the Modern Hotel, a popular dining destination in downtown Boise for well over a decade. Nate was nominated for a James Beard Award while working at the Modern. When the pandemic hit, they both lost their jobs.

A New Opportunity.
Terroir’s culinary concept was borne out of pandemic challenges. That was when all the conditions combined to push them into a new vision, to create products that simply could not/would not be replicated anywhere else—all while emphasizing local ingredients.

A Farm Visit.
Chef Nate and Remi collaborate with numerous local farms and we tagged along with the Terroir Boys on a recent sourcing trip to Purple Sage Farms. On this day, which happened to be the first frost of the season, we were impressed with the greenhouse system Mike and Tim Sommer use to extend their growing season. The fact is, using fresh ingredients is not necessarily a “seasonal” thing and with the right innovation, quality local food can be produced beyond the usual growing season.

The Weekly Supper Club. 
The ingenuity of operating a weekly supper club three nights a week out of a private room in a wine shop allows the duo to “… continue to provide food in a different way … helps us find balance in our lives,” says Chef Nate “the Sausage King” Whitely.

Charcuterie To Go. 
Anyone familiar with the local Boise culinary scene may know about Chef Nate’s sausages. (He is, after all, the locally famous Sausage King.) House-made artisan products, like cold cuts, pate, and sausages are available online.

Check out the latest video in our series, “Idaho’s Farm to Chef Connection,” featuring Terroir Butchery & Wine and learn about their gastronomic vision and how they are bringing it to life with the help of Idaho’s own farmers, ranchers and food crafters! 

To order Terroir’s specialty products, sign up for their email list by sending a request to artisans@terroirboise.com. 

To purchase tickets for Terroir’s popular supper club: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/terroir-supper-club-tickets-383028116407

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“Idaho’s Farm to Chef Connection” is a special video series produced by Idaho Preferred that features chefs from throughout the Gem State who are committed to using locally-sourced ingredients from area farm and ranch families.  We are delighted to feature these culinary artists and their farm-to-fork restaurants.