Meet Rachel Luce | Butcherista (A butcher and barista)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Luce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My outlook on risk is “Nothing risked, nothing gained.” When I began looking to start my own business, I was working full time as a registered nurse. I had a steady paycheck with predictable work and benefits. I knew embarking down the path of entrepreneurship would risk years’ worth of income, career development and work-life balance. However, I also hoped this risk would pay off by allowing for my income to match my effort and allow me the freedom to set my own schedule.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am the owner of Silver Creek Specialty Meats and Gourmet Coffee in Hondo, TX. (Home of the Butcheristas) Silver Creek offers sit down dining, a drive through and a retail front. We sell fresh and smoked meats, local vegetables, gourmet coffee, fresh deli sandwiches, and wild game processing. Everyday as the owner is an adventure. I face the daily challenge of managing inventory, ordering, staffing, training for a meat market, a fast paced coffee drive thru, a retail space, and a dining area all at once. The way I manage this is by empowering our team and hiring people who share my vision for the store. Potential hires know they are interviewing for a different kind of job when they see their job title as Butcherista. Our Butcheristas are trained as baristas in espresso based beverages and in basic butchery. However, it is not out of the ordinary to see them receiving wild game into our back cooler, dispensing minnows out of our live bait tank, or even to help paint all of the newly constructed areas of our store!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hondo is a place you go to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoy some rural relaxation. If I was a tour guide, my first stop would be Silver Creek for a brunch with coffee and sandwiches then stock up on craft sodas, jerky, and homemade candies to snack on for the rest of the day. (I may be slightly biased) Other local activities include getting lost at the South Texas Corn Maize, making the short drive to Concan to float the river, dove hunting at the Stoneyard, or going on a guided deer or feral hog hunt. To top off the day, I would stop by one of Hondo’s tried and true dinner spots! Hondough pizza, Hermann Sons Steakhouse, Heavy’s BBQ and el Restaurante Azteca are all great places to end the day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and this business has been my baby the past 5 years. Without the ongoing support and feedback from the community, this endeavor never would have worked. Between the families who supported us from the beginning when our inventory was extremely limited, the individuals who decided to shop local and the Hondo Area Chamber of Commerce promoting us along the way, we have been blessed by a steady support network.

Website: www.silvercreekhondo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silver_creek_hondo/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvercreekhondo/