Valley Piggery has evolved...How we got here...Before there was Les Fêtes, there was Valley Piggery.
Before there was Valley Piggery, there was Pork Chop Hill.
Jake O. Francis launched Pork Chop Hill piggery on a small plot of land in Georgia. He had just starting working and learning about animal husbandry on a small farm. Out of all of the farm animals, there was something about raising pigs that Jake just gravitated towards. He took over the pig program on the farm, and he grew it. Then, he found his own plot of land, and started raising his own pigs under the name Pork Chop Hill. He built a business raising pigs, selling pork to Atlanta restaurants, and teaching butchery workshops.
Right when things were really starting to pick up with his business, a job offer brought his family out to the Central Coast of California.
Once on the Central Coast, those pigs started calling Jake’s name again.
He found a place to raise the pigs in Los Alamos, and then discovered that Cal Poly had their own meat processing program.
With all the pieces in place to start his own program again, he began to establish the Santa Barbara County version of Pork Chop Hill—Valley Piggery. The same core value from Pork Chop Hill were carried over to Valley Piggery: a conviction that the best tasting pork comes from holistically-raised, well-loved, pasture-fed pigs.
Jake was once again growing and butchering pork, running butchery workshops, and offering a pork CSA to the Santa Ynez Valley community. As these things often go, a friend asked if he could do a pig roast. Without any experience, he said—sure why not…and the rest is history. One pig roast turned into two, and as word spread about his offerings, all of a sudden he was so busy with catering that he couldn’t keep up the rearing side of the piggery business. It was at this point that Valley Piggery officially transitioned from a piggery to a catering company
So why the name change?While we love and are proud of our piggery roots, it’s become apparent that our company is so much more than that. We are still champions of local, small scale, regenerative ranching. But, we’ve discovered that we love going out and partying with you all, and cooking delicious meals that speak to both our clients’ taste and our ideals. As a full service catering company, we create culinary innovations for party people, and that’s why we’ve evolved into Les Fêtes (French for “The Parties”).
No matter your occasion, we’ll bring the party to you. Our menus represent a wide range of styles, but our menu items will always be local and seasonal (and sometimes they’ll involve a pig roast—gotta stay true to your roots). So check out our new site, and don’t hesitate to let us know how we can make your party awesome.
