There are few butcheries in the region offering high quality meat sourced from local farmers, unique and experimental sandwich recipes, and imported Italian groceries – and there may only be one owned by a married pair of queer women. Introducing Reka’s: a butchery prioritizing a whole-animal approach located at 401 Scott St. in Covington. 

A Lesbian-Owned Butchery Rooted in Family and Italian Heritage

Wives Shelbi and Ashley Nation opened Reka’s in 2024 with the goal of celebrating Shelbi’s great-grandmother’s legacy as a chef and business owner in the male-dominated meat industry. When developing a sister location to their original butchery, Wyoming Meat Market, they borrowed her name – Reka – and her classic Italian recipes. 

“Our roots go back not only to Italy and our Italian heritage, but also to our family members,” Ashley Nation said. “We’re female and we’re business owners. [We’re] something against the norm.” 

Also against the norm is their whole-animal approach: a way to ensure quality control and sustainable practices from the farm to the butchery. The Nations were inspired by the original owner of Wyoming Meat Market, who started the trend in the 1920s. By ordering a whole cow only once a week, butchers can intentionally utilize it to its fullest extent and avoid food waste.

“The idea is that a whole cow can feed a community and nothing goes to waste,” Nation said. “Get a cow once a week, butcher it, and the community would come feed off of it. Whatever we didn’t sell that week, we would grind and make burgers and have a community grill-out, and that still happens in Wyoming.”

“We do that because we know the cow. We know what our cows eat. We know where they live. We know everything about them,” Ashley Nation said. “When you talk to our butchers here… They can tell you just about anything… people really care about their food, and I think that goes a long way.”

A Whole-Animal Philosophy That Connects Food and Community

The whole-animal approach corroborates more than just Reka’s commitment to sustainability and meat quality. It also showcases their devotion to their local community, which they aspire to connect with further in future years.

“Especially with the holidays coming around, we’re trying to plan a holiday pop-up,” Nation said. Currently, Reka’s boasts a wide Thanksgiving menu complete with a whole turkey and side dish bundle. “We definitely have plans to be a part of the community.”

With the recent government shutdown pausing food assistance, the Nations feel called to provide for the community and give back to its members now more than ever. Reka’s is sending donations of non-perishable items and a percentage of item sales to Be Concerned in Covington, a food pantry serving eight counties in Northern Kentucky.

“With SNAP coming to an end, we’re partnering with local food banks and starting a food drive,” Nation said. “We want to help our neighbors.” 

Since introducing themselves to their Northern Kentucky “neighbors” over a year ago, Reka’s has developed a strong community of regulars: some who visit the shop every day, twice a day.

“We focus heavily on what our customers want,” Nation notes receiving requests for aged Parmesan cheese and Italian holiday cakes – all things they’re happy to provide. “We’ll have the lunch crowd, so some people come in and get a sandwich… then they’ll come back after work and get chicken or steak.”

Creating Safety, Acceptance, and Belonging for LGBTQ Customers

Whether customers visit to explore the shelves of imported groceries, place orders for their families’ dinners, or snag what Nation calls “bomb sandwiches” for their lunch break, they all share something Nation briefly feared they wouldn’t – a respect for her and her wife’s relationship. 

“There’s still, as always, a bit of ‘what are people gonna say?’” Nation said. 

When beginning their business, Nation worried referring to Shelbi, the primary butcher and founder of Reka’s, as her wife might provoke stares or judgement. Instead, she’s found herself “pleasantly surprised” by the reception from customers.

“If I just say ‘my wife’ – I used to be worried to say that term – people don’t even flinch,” Nation said. “That’s really, really nice, because that’s something that, as a business owner, you really don’t know if that’s gonna affect your business. At this point, if it does, then I don’t really want them as a customer anyways.”

Despite being perhaps the country’s only whole-animal, queer female-owned butchery, Reka’s originality and innovation doesn’t contradict their desire to be a “safe space” for many queer shoppers in the area.

“It’s really fun to have people come in and tell their stories, and just explain how happy they are that we’re here,” Nation said. “It makes me feel really good.”

In the future, Reka’s hopes to partner with Covington Pride to show their appreciation to the community and introduce everyone to the fascinating Italian flavors they offer in store. Until then, customers hoping to sample imported snacks, order extra sides for their Thanksgiving feast, or try a sandwich with a unique fusion of flavors can visit Reka’s from Tuesday to Saturday each week!