Got beef, and a lot more. Uncle-nephew team opens new specialty butcher shop in Hughson
When you live in a small town, you get used to driving elsewhere to find what you want.
But an uncle and his adult nephew are making sure Hughson residents can stay close to home when purchasing high-quality meats and poultry. The men have opened Chuck’s Butcher Shop, with the simple tagline of “fresh quality meats.”
Inside their store, a 20-foot-long case holds an impressive array of beef, pork and chicken. But it’s their ability to customize orders to whatever customers want — be that 50 hand-rolled burger patties for a company picnic or a special cut of prime rib for holiday dinners — that they said really sets them apart.
“At the end, it’s just quality meats. We’re not going to give our customers anything we wouldn’t give our family. Whatever we would feed our family, we’ll put it out here for the customers to buy,” said Sal Virgen, who with his uncle Carlos Virgen opened the shop in mid-August in a retail strip on East Whitmore Avenue.
Then men hand-cut all of their meats, which are all “choice” grade or higher, and most come from the renowned Harris Ranch south of Fresno. They also make their own sausage from scratch, as well as marinades, salsas and other seasonings. Besides fresh cuts, you’ll find ready-to-grill taco meat, marinated chicken fajitas and pork al pastor by the pound.
Carlos has worked for 30-plus years in meat processing in the region, getting his start at the former Diamond Food Center in Newman. Sal credits his uncle with teaching him the trade when he was 18. The men worked side-by-side for years at Turlock, Delhi and Livingston Liberty Market stores. But they long dreamed of owning their own shop, so late last year started looking for a place to call their own.
Early last spring, they found the Hughson spot on Whitmore, in a retail strip that also includes Get Fit and Rico’s Pizza. The space, formerly the short-lived Don’t Panic It’s Organic eatery, which closed right before the start of the pandemic in 2020, has been transformed. The 1,200-square-foot shop has its meat case on one side and a freezer case on the other.
Carlos, who lives in Turlock, and Sal, who lives in Denair, said they chose Hughson for its proximity and community. The men both go to church in Hughson and said their decision to open the business in town has already been richly rewarded by residents — some who have become regulars since its opening.
“I have to leave town for everything,” Hughson resident Jana Mitchell said as she looked at steaks on display at Chuck’s. “So, oh my gosh, have we been looking forward to this place opening. We don’t want to leave town to get things if we don’t have to.”
Chuck’s prides itself on its selection and ability to get whatever special orders customers want. And the shop also offers highly competitive prices for its premium meats, from as low as $2.79 a pound for a whole spatcock chicken to $10.99 a pound for a bone-in porterhouse. You’ll also find impressive-looking tomahawk steaks ($16.99/lb) and beef tri-tip roast ($7.49/lb).
Chuck’s also offers bulk meats — like racks or ribs and 10-plus pounds of in-house ground chuck — in the freezer section, where you can also find the shop’s seafood selection and goat meat.
The shop currently does not offer prepared food, other than some side salads and salsas. But the men have plans to soon add beer and wine into their cooler cases, and possibly expand into other new or possibly prepared items in the new year.
As the relatives continue to welcome new shoppers to their business, the inevitable question gets asked anew: “So, who is Chuck?”
Turns out, no one. The men were looking a name that people would remember, and didn’t necessarily want to name the shop after themselves.
“We’re still trying to figure out (who Chuck is),” Sal said. “We wanted a catchy name, and chuck is meat. So it’s Chuck’s.”
Chuck’s Butcher Shop, at 6724 E. Whitmore Ave. in Hughson, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 209-883-7500 or visit www.facebook.com/chucks.209.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
