steak bin. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Make room in your freezers, San Diegans. The Brazilian-founded, Florida-based retailer famous for its encyclopedic variety of “blast-frozen” meats and seafood has staked a claim in Pacific Beach.
Wild Fork made its metro San Diego debut at 1701 Garnet Ave. on Sept. 24, in a 4,000-square-foot space previously occupied by the V-Outlet discount store. It arrives to the delight of die-hard carnivores on the hunt for selection, quality and affordability.
Some consumers are already familiar with the brand after visiting its Encinitas location, which
opened a couple years ago. Others, however, are just beginning to learn that Wild Fork isn’t actually a butchery, but rather an attractive store featuring freezer aisles brimming with the largest inventory of frozen meat in San Diego County—if not the entire country.
“It’s a protein wonderland,” said store manager Michael Carey while pointing out that all of the meats and seafood undergo a blast-freezing process at a temperature of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. “The method instantly freezes the proteins and keeps them at their peak conditions,” he added.
First-time customers are typically astonished at the number of frozen proteins available, which include beef, pork, lamb, chicken, venison, organ meat, lobster, scallops, shrimp and more. They are harvested from various points within the U.S., as well as Brazil, Argentina, Japan and Australia.
Afterwards, they are cut, frozen and immediately packaged at facilities in North Carolina,
Colorado and Kentucky. From there, the products are shipped to 70 store locations across the U.S. and Canada.
Looking to impress your dinner guests with a lush cut of Chateaubriand or Japanese A5 wagyu beef filets? Wild Fork has you covered—and you may decide to further splurge on a few North Atlantic lobster tails too.
Yet the store caters largely to carnivores and pescatarians looking to make everyday,
inexpensive meals. The freezer cases are neatly stocked with items ranging from a beef-veal-pork meatball mix and all types of chicken parts to pork chops, standard roasts, sausages and shellfish.
If shoppers come knocking simply for ground beef or bison, the choices are numerous in their different fat-to-meat ratios. Much of it is sold in one-pound packages, and some in preformed patties.
In addition, organic and grass-fed meats are found easily throughout the freezers.
Wild Fork’s regional director, Paras Tulsiani, said Pacific Beach was chosen for the new store because “the area has a really good balance of young professionals, young families and retired people.”
He added that, “We feel there is a good demand for healthy-quality proteins in this market.”
Dr. Caroline Lutzky and her husband, Julio Morales, are Southern Florida transplants, which is where Wild Fork originated in 2018. They frequented Wild Fork in Miami before moving to Mission Valley—and say they are happy a store is now in easy reach.
Among their go-to purchases when living in Florida was the iconic Brazilian beef-sirloin cap known as picanha, which is abundantly available at the Pacific Beach location.
“It is our special-occasion meat for barbecues, and it’s hard to find in other stores” said Lutzky. “We also like their skirt steak, their rosemary lamb lollipops, and their pre-marinated chicken and pork. I can go on and on—and it’s all very affordable.”
Tulsiani said that the store’s meat and seafood prices are 15 to 20% lower than those at major grocery chains, including Costco. Consumers will also find a few sections of non-frozen goods such as produce, spices, sauces and grill coals.
Wild Fork is owned by JBS, a global meatpacking company named after its founder, Jose Batista Sobrinho and based in São Paulo, Brazil.
The Pacific Beach store will hold its grand opening from 1 to 4 p.m., Nov. 7. It will feature pitmasters grilling up food samples, plus raffles, prizes and DJ music. The event is free.
For more information call 858-362-0000 or visit www.wildforkfoods.com.