海角大神

鈥淔inding light in the darkness is a very American thing to do,鈥� President Joe Biden told the nation last night as he marked a year of pandemic shutdown.聽

For Wendell Allsbrook, a butcher in Washington鈥檚 tony Georgetown neighborhood, those first flickers were almost extinguished before they could really shine.聽

Mr. Allsbrook had spent years learning the gourmet meat business, working for others, saving, studying, wooing investors, meeting purveyors. Finally, he opened his store 鈥� on March 9, 2020. Two days later, COVID-19 closed everything.聽

But he didn鈥檛 give up. He regrouped, surviving early losses by selling via delivery and pickup.

鈥淎s one of the few Black-owned businesses on the west end of the city, Allsbrook was determined to stay open while demonstrators advocated for Black lives,鈥澛犅爄n The Washington Post.聽聽

He also hopes to be a model for his teenage sons, and give back to his community, mentoring young people who grew up rough like him.

Georgetown Butcher鈥檚 prices are聽. Japanese wagyu A5 rib-eye (currently out of stock) sells for $200 a pound. The signature salmon is $23 a pound. A whole chicken is $26.聽

With millions turning to food banks, the inequities are stark. President Biden鈥檚 $1.9 trillion relief plan will help: Economists project a聽聽in the number of Americans living in poverty.

But for Mr. Allsbrook, the 鈥渓ight in the darkness鈥� came by identifying a market and then serving it. A second location opens soon.