You don't need to come from a lineage of cattle ranchers or descend from an ancestry of butchers to run a successful meat shop. Just ask Taryn Barker, 25, who has successfully owned and operated George's Gourmet Meats in Port Moody's Newport Village since May 2012.
There is, however, a generational connection. Mark Steensma, her business partner and the owner of their Langley location, is George's son — the shop's namesake. At 16, Taryn worked under George in the family-owned and operated Langley meat shop (established in 1998) until he retired in 2008. Mark took over the business and renamed the shop after his dad; it was originally Clancy's Meat Co. for 13 years. It was Taryn’s first job. She learned the ropes from George and Mark, who taught her all aspects of the business.
Now, years later, she oversees a staff of 11 in the Newport shop and has earned a spot every year on the Tri-Cities A-List, a compilation of local favourites voted by Tri-City residents and published annually in The Tri-City News. "We're proud to be recognized as one of the best meat shops in the community," says Taryn. "It lets us know we're doing all the right things and motivates us to keep moving forward."
