Interview with Washington, D.C. Area Rising Star Artisan Benjamin Thompson of Rock Barn

Meha Desai: How did you perfect the charcuterie at The Rock Barn?
Benjamin Thompson: We asked a lot of questions. We reached out. We kept trying and trying until we got the perfect product. I don’t mind reaching out to big meat corporations. You don’t have to replicate what they do, but they have a high database of stuff. That’s lots of knowledge, right there. We sent it out to people to get feedback. We sent a lot of free stuff, about 40 products. In meat production, you really learn the demographics. We work with some businesses like Relay Foods to help with distribution. We work with local food hubs. My spice guy helps me a lot. We bridge the gap between craft and manufacturing. 

MD: There’s a buzz about your Porkshare. What’s it about?
BT: For the Pork Share, you pay $80 a month, and you get about eight to10 pounds, proportionate to the whole hog yield, with no commitments and no penalties. It’s a great place to do product releases and get feedback. It’s one of the unique things we do. The master roster has 175 people, but not everyone does it every month. Our offerings change each month, with a recipe that accompanies it. 

MD: What makes The Rock Barn different?
BT: We use fresh stuff in our sausages, and we do products in small batches so our inspectors are always surprised. The challenge is developing the paperwork. We do everything they want. We started as a state facility. Now federal guys are around. They’re great guys. When the holidays come around, they buy this stuff. They love our product. 

MD: What's your five-year plan?
BT: Moving to a bigger space down the road. We’ll move everything from here to there, the butchering as well. It’s turning out to be an artisanal industry park. It’ll have a hospitality front to it. The name is SHARE, and the philosophy is to just embrace honest food and where it comes from and be approachable. It will not be geared toward yoga moms. It’s not meant to be a trendy idea, but more of an evergreen concept. We’re bringing in beef, as well, and we started to work on that already. Right now we’re at the beginning stages of doing all-American full-blooded wagyu. It’s what we’ve been working on with the herd for about five years already.