When Eleven Madison Park announced it would reintroduce meat to its menu after four years of going fully plant-based, it reignited a citywide conversation about the role of meat in fine dining.
In NoLita, acclaimed chef Marc Forgione has already been ahead of the curve. At Peasant, the rustic, wood-fired restaurant he revived and now steers, Forgione launched a whole animal program earlier this year that treats meat with sustainability, creativity, and respect.
“I’m a chef for the people,” Forgione said. “As much as I cater to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free, I also cater to people who want to eat meat. I always have. I don’t think it’s a new thing, at least not for my restaurants.”
For Forgione, the shift in meat dining is not about novelty, but awareness.
“I think we have a lot more information about the meat that we’re eating. And because of that, there’s a little more care,” he said. “For example, now you can more easily get information on what the cows that you’re serving are fed, where they’re raised, and the farmers’ names. It’s not just about what farm your carrots come from anymore, but you can also, if you want to, find out what farm your rabbits come from.”
The Whole Animal Program
That commitment to transparency inspired Forgione’s whole animal program at Peasant. When he replaced the hearth nearly two years ago, he installed a heavy-duty wood-burning rotisserie, built by J & R Manufacturing, originally to continue the restaurant’s signature suckling pig tradition.
“As I was just looking at the rotisserie one day, I realized that if we can do rotisserie pigs, why can’t we do rotisserie ducks and rabbits?” he recalled. “My team and I started to talk about how much fun it would be to have rabbit night or duck night. And that’s where the idea was spawned. Not everybody has this beautiful gift of having the ability to cook on a rotisserie over wood burning fire in New York City. I really wanted to take advantage of that.”
The experiments were revelatory. “I tasted this duck for the first time when we did it. I’ve eaten duck my entire life, and I could not believe what it was doing to my taste,” he said. “Because you have to remember, this duck is on there for two hours, give or take, and it’s just slowly smoking and basting in its own fat… the only way you can do this is on the rotisserie.”
Working With Farmers
To bring the program to life, Forgione partnered with local farms.
“For my beef, we’re working with Happy Valley Meats, and for my ducks, I’m working with Joe Jurgielewicz. They’re all curated and local farms, from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York,” he said. “It’s just a blessing to be able to showcase these beautiful animals and their farmers, and it really shows in the meat.”
Beyond Nose to Tail
Later this fall, Forgione will push that mission further by collaborating with Parisian bistro Quedubon on an offal-focused dinner, spotlighting underutilized cuts.
“We’re one of the few countries that hasn’t fully embraced the idea of using the whole animal,” he said. “People talk about nose to tail, but that also means using what’s inside. In Europe, you walk into restaurants and see kidneys or liver on the menu, and in butcher shops they’re right there on display. Families cook with oxtails and tongue at home - it’s just part of everyday life. Here in America, it’s still rare for someone to say, ‘Tonight we’re having oxtails.’ For me, as a chef, the first reason to embrace it is simple - it’s delicious. But it’s also about respect for the animal and making the most of what it gives us.”
For Forgione, using every part of the animal is an act of respect. “They die. So you show respect by using as much of the animal as you can.”
More Than a Trend
Asked whether whole animal cooking is a fad, Forgione likens it to fashion: cyclical but enduring. “The way that I think whole animal appreciation is coming back, it’s not the first time in the culinary scene that whole animal cookery is becoming popular. It comes in, it comes out. But if you look at old cookbooks from the ’60s and ’70s, you’ll see whole animals on tables all the time.”
For now, the program is finding eager audiences at Peasant. “The people that love it, love it,” he said. “We are now offering it as part of our private dining room options. And it’s really starting to take off. We call the menu Animal House. Chickens, rabbits, ducks, and goat shanks are part of your entree. It’s like a Game of Thrones way of eating in a restaurant.”
To learn more, check out Peasant and Chef Forgione’s Instagram.
