Prime Beef For A Prime Cause
If you made it to the Academic Awards Assembly last week at the school you were in for treat! Many amazing accomplishments of our students at North Park Schools were celebrated. We also had an outstanding meal prepared by our food service staff, led by Cary Ramsey. People are still talking about the mouthwatering meal we indulged in. If you missed it, you lost out on a truly incredible roast beef dinner that was donated by the Castle Peak Ranch right here in North Park.
The Castle Peak Ranch was purchased from the short lived Blue Goose outfit, formerly known as the Owl Creek Ranch and just on the east side of the Park. They also own the Yarmony Ranch where Blaine Larson has been instrumental in its direction and care. The Yarmony Ranch is located south of Walden in route to Rand. Castle Peak purchased the ranch two years ago from the Blue Goose and is now owned by W.M. and Stephanie Templeton of Texas. It is managed by Stephanie’s son Reece Hartman and wife Shayla. The Hartman’s grew up in Texas and brought their young family here, which includes their cowpokes, Quincy and Grayson.
The Castle Peak Ranch was gracious enough to donate beef to the North Park School District this spring. It’s not just any beef though. The beef donated to the school food service program is Wagyu beef. Wagyu, also known as Kobe, is known as the caviar of the steak world. This Japanese breed of cattle is known for intense marbling and high Prime grading. Due to the high quality of this beef, it is most often found in 5 Star markets and restaurants in communities such as Vail, Steamboat, Las Vegas and Denver. Yampa Street Steakhouse in Steamboat is the closest restaurant to sell this prime quality beef. The average person pays around $50.00 for a steak dinner when they go out to eat, but not in the Wagyu market. A Wagyu steak dinner will set you back $200 or more in high end retail markets. The hamburger alone is roughly $6.00 a pound, and sold locally at the North Park Meats market on Main Street.
So, what makes this mouthwatering, prime beef so expensive? Wagyu is a different type of cattle which takes longer to mature than the Angus, Hereford and Charolais breeds we often see roaming the range here. Beef cattle here may take 120 days to mature into a steak, while the Wagyu take nearly 3 years. This fine boned breed of cattle originated from a cross with water buffalo. These temperamental cattle are not always the easiest to raise but their personalities and meat quality set them apart. The Hartman’s raise over 800 in their herd and is acclaimed to be the largest purebred herd in America.
The Hartman’s are a welcome addition to the North Park community and have made a commitment to supporting it in many ways. Outside of their generous supply of beef to fill the school freezers, they also have become sponsors of the North Park Never Summer Rodeo Junior trophy buckles. They assist in hosting a bible study on Thursday evenings as well, which is one of their most rewarding experiences thus far in moving to the Park. If you have an interest in trying the Wagyu beef, you can pick some up at North Park Meats at your leisure. You can also support your local school lunch program by enjoying a lunch date with your student. Our kiddos have been fed quite well thanks to the generosity of the Hartman family and Castle Peak Ranch.
For more information on the Wagyu raised on the Castle Peak you can EMAIL the ranch.
