Faces of the Valley: Vandergrift native opens neighborhood butcher shop in Lawrenceville

Dec. 11—Having grown up in Vandergrift, Steve Dawson understands the heartbeat of a small town.

Now, he is bringing that neighborhood vibe to an already-bustling area with his recently opened butcher concept in Lawrenceville.

After years working as a corporate geologist, Dawson left his profession to pursue his passion for butchering, opening Fat Butcher, a whole-animal butcher shop and deli at 5151 Butler St.

The shop opened Nov. 12 and features locally sourced steaks, bacon, ground pork, deli meats, soups, condiments, merchandise and more.

"After my brother passed away, I knew that I wanted to move back to Pittsburgh," Dawson said.

He moved away from Vandergrift in 2005 and lived in Madison, Wis., for the past five years. When he returned, he brought his butchering skills with him.

Dawson perfected his butcher knowledge and technique while working alongside Jonny Hunter, a James Beard Award-nominated chef at the now-closed Underground Butcher in Madison.

"He taught me a ton," Dawson said.

Using a nose-to-tail approach, virtually every part of the the animal is used for something, Dawson said.

Fat is rendered into lard, trim meat is ground for burgers, pate and sausage and bones are used for broth and stocks.

"The goal is to use the whole animal and to treat it with respect," Dawson said. "Local tastes better."

Dawson, 41, has fond memories of growing up in Vandergrift.

His grandparents were Italian immigrants who were hardworking and big on tradition, he said.

The family barbershop, Dave's Barber Shop, is still in operation on McKinley Avenue.

"I walked from St. Gertrude's to my grandparents' house, went to the old butcher shop in the Heights, Del Vecchio's, and played baseball down at Kennedy Park and football for Kiski — all that stuff," Dawson said.

Dawson, who graduated from Kiski Area High School in 2000, still travels from Lawrenceville to Vandergrift for his haircuts.

He named his business in loving memory of his late brother, Pat Dawson, who was 33 when he died in 2017.

"His nickname was Fat, and he was a funny guy. Jovial," Dawson said. "One thing that lends itself to cooking is that fat is flavor. Fat Butcher is celebrating that and using that term as a positive. It's an ode to him."

Dawson selected Lawrenceville after scouting dozens of locations all over Pittsburgh, with Garfield and Bloomfield under consideration.

"I emailed everyone in the city except (then-mayor Bill) Peduto," he said.

His networking paid off when a friend at Lawrenceville Pet Supply alerted Dawson to a new building available on Butler Street.

"There used to be a butcher shop on this block for more than 100 years," Dawson said.

The building features a large window front with grab-and-go coolers and shelves filled with spices and sauces, including barbecue sauces and artisan salts.

The inside doesn't offer seating, but hot sandwiches and sides are available to-go.

The Smash Burger ($10) features a double smashed patty served with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, onion and special sauce on a challah bun.

A Porchetta Sandwich ($17) is made with Nowicki Farm Pork, napa cabbage, relish and Gochujang aioli and is served on focaccia.

The Local Egg breakfast sandwich ($12-$14) is customizable with the option of adding bacon or sausage. It's served with a Fresno aioli on house-made ciabatta bread.

Dawson's mother, Jeanne Guerrera of Vandergrift, said she was in shock when her son said he was opening a butcher shop.

"I worried about the financial part of it. But he comes from a large Italian background, and he's willing to take chances. We have a history of just working," Guerrera said.

Guerrera said Dawson's childhood was spent surrounded by friends and family. While in college, her son began calling her to inquire about how to cook certain foods.

"My house was always open to him and his friends," she said.

Tommy Scanga, a Vandergrift native, businessman and owner of Del Vecchio's, is a third-generation butcher.

Scanga praised Dawson for his efforts of offering fresh-cut, in-house meats.

"It's great to see somebody going back to the roots and doing what's very much needed in this world — serving fresh meat from local animals, which is unheard of in the times of today," Scanga said.

Dawson only buys his meats from local and regional sources.

"They're very calm and docile and relaxed animals. They live a very nice life. The farmers really care about what they do, and it shows in the meat," Dawson said.

The Black Angus and Heritage breed beef cattle raised on Pasture Perfect Beef Farm in Grove City are free of steroids, hormones and antibiotics.

"We're providing the best lamb, chicken, beef and pork that Western Pennsylvania has to offer," Dawson said.

Dawson's favorite steak is the bavette (flank), but he said it's impossible to pick just one outside of the ribeye and New York strip.

As Fat Butcher celebrates about a month in business, Dawson said the excitement is tangible.

"You know that light at the end of the tunnel feeling? Imagine that light is a freight train coming at you. That's the feeling. Exactly what I wanted," he said.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .