Ricketts tours meat distributor, restaurants on final day of beef promotion trip

Ricketts tours meat distributor, restaurants on final day of beef promotion trip
Ricketts tours meat distributor, restaurants on final day of beef promotion trip.
May 23rd, 2022 | Bryce Doeschot

Las Vegas – The second and final day of Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts’s beef promotion trip in Las Vegas featured tours of restaurants and a regional meat distributor’s facility.

The group included beef producers and representatives from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska Cattlemen and Greater Omaha Packing Company. They began the day at Newport Meat of Nevada. Newport Meat, a division of Sysco, supplies meat, including Nebraska beef, to end-users such as fast food establishments, restaurants and resorts.

ICYMI: Day one recap: Ricketts, state ag leaders tour Vegas resort, participate in roundtable discussion on first day of ag promotion tour

According to Newport Meat of Nevada Sales Manager Jocelyn Magno, the division has more than 300 customers to whom it distributes meat. In total, she estimates that they serve 800 different restaurant types across the country.

“We want to take what you guys (Nebraska beef producers) are doing and the passion that is going on in those agricultural communities and we want to bring it to what is happening here,” Magno said. “We want to further that passion…We want to continue that here at every restaurant.”

The group toured the facility as employees processed beef into steaks for end-users. Attendees also learned about the dry-aging room and specialized machinery at Newport Meat.

For lunch, the group visited Road Kill Grill and toured John Mulls Retail Butcher Shop. The two are now in the 4th generation of being a family-owned and operated space since 1954.

The restaurant, Road Kill Grill, is rated number one for barbecue in Nevada and is considered one of the best in the nation. Guy Fieri helped put it on the map in 2017 when it was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Owner Chuck Frommer is the grandson of the founder John Mulls. He said they love beef from Nebraska, specifically from Greater Omaha Packing.

“The cattle buyers you guys have do a real good job of actually picking really good animals. I mean it is consistent,” Frommer said.

Road Kill Grill | Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts tours restaurant that serves Nebraska beef

The two-day beef promotion tour wrapped up with a visit to CUT by Wolfgang Puck located at The Palazzo Las Vegas. CUT continues to be one of the most highly coveted dining experiences in Las Vegas and remains a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike.

The idea of a domestic beef promotion tour spurred out of restrictions on international travel due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Ricketts said he enjoyed the fact that chefs and others in Las Vegas wanted to hear more about Nebraska beef producers.

“They get that more and more consumers want to know where their food is coming from,” the Governor said. “By bringing in our producers, they can talk directly about what they do, it really helps the folks here in Las Vegas understand where that beef comes from so they can tell their customers.”

“That’s probably the most valuable part of the trip.”

Mike Drury – President – Greater Omaha Packing Co

Ricketts, state ag leaders tour Vegas resort, participate in roundtable discussion
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