HJ Schaible and Kei Ohdera
Pasture | Portland, OR
JULY 2023
Born in Ichikawa, Japan, Kei Ohdera moved around between Japan and the United States during his childhood. Despite the number of homes, neighborhoods, and cultures he lived in, one thing rang true: all people, regardless of who they are and where they’re from, can connect over food. This interest in food drew Ohdera to the kitchen. Moving back to Japan, he worked at the three Michelin-starred, hyper fine dining RyuGin in Tokyo under Chef Seiji Yamamoto. There, he gained an appreciation and deep knowledge for celebrating the natural world through the restaurant’s Kaiseki dining format. Moving back to the United States, Ohdera took a position at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns in 2014, connecting with the restaurant’s intense focus on agriculture. It was there that he would meet friend and future business partner HJ Schaible.
Growing up in Montana, hunting, dressing, and butchering were a normal part of Schaible’s everyday life. This sent them down the path of learning classic European-style butchery, salumi production, and animal fabrication. They traveled across the country, working at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, New York, and with Rising Stars alum Elias Cairo at Olympia Provisions in Portland, Oregon. Schaible and Ohdera stayed in touch after their shared time at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The two connected over a retired dairy cow project that they were in charge of, a concept they would carry with them into their future business. When both butchers separately found their way to Portland, they reconnected in 2019.
What began as a residency at Dame celebrating retired dairy cows turned into Pasture, a whole animal butcher shop that focuses on the relationship between farmer, animal, and customer. Schaible and Ohdera highlight the conversation between butcher and consumer, and believe that educating their customers is equally important to using every inch of the animal. The duo runs classes, complete with a tasting menu designed by Ohdera and demonstrations by Schaible. They also offer a rotating sandwich menu at Pasture, highlighting the duo’s fine dining roots in a form that celebrates seasonality, locality, and high quality execution while remaining casual and approachable.
