The Spotted Trotter & the Rise of New American Charcuterie | Eat Good Meat

It takes courage to follow your compass to find joy in your work. For Kevin Ouzts, taking a leap of faith and trusting his own entrepreneurial spirit and grit—along the steadfast support of his wife and co-owner Megan—allowed him to create The Spotted Trotter, a one-of-a-kind American Charcuterie house at the forefront of the Slow Food Movement at home in Atlanta, GA and across the country.

James joins Kevin in his home in Kirkwood, a community-forward borough of metro Atlanta, near where his flagship 8,000 square foot space on Moreland Avenue not only houses his storefront, but also provides sustainable, responsibly sourced meats to grocery stores across the country. Kevin’s story is a lesson in having courage of conviction, finding your purpose, and embracing the ability to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Thinking Beyond Excel Sheets: Exploring Le Cordon Bleu

Kevin’s story begins in a cubicle during college at The University of Georgia, working for UPS. While he jokes that he learned a lot about Excel, he expresses gratitude for a background in American shipping and logistics that prepared him to build something of his own. Next, he found himself in advertising with The Home Depot and eventually in sales with Microsoft, which is when he realized he was profoundly unhappy with the path his career was starting to take and made some radical changes.

Kevin enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu, taking an apprenticeship with the French Laundry in the heart of Napa Valley, California, alongside 20 or so other chefs. This experience helped him narrow his focus to an opportunity to focus on sustainability in the food industry. Around the time he left for California, he’d been introduced to the art of charcuterie by chef Ryan Smith and took an interest in the slow food movement. He walked into The Fatted Calf, a butcher shop he passed every day on the way to work, and asked if he could learn from their methods. 

Returning to Atlanta, he put his experiences and network of local chefs to good use and began the process of creating a legacy: charcuterie with a Southern twist, focusing on sustainability and locally sourced, nutrient rich ingredients.

Early Days at The Spotted Trotter

Launching the business involved early mornings with his wife and business partner Megan—who was also a full-time attorney and continues to practice law—borrowed kitchens, and a broken leg, proving that perseverance and partnership can turn a small dream into a thriving Southern institution. He broke his leg shortly after his return to Atlanta, which allowed him time to write a HACCP plan, or Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point plan enforced by the FDA and USDA by state. He then got permission to work in a space run by a local chef in Atlanta, with the caveat that he could not be there when she was open - meaning, his day started at 4am and he had to be out by about 9am, when he’d start his delivery route around Atlanta. He followed this routine for about eight months, quickly outgrowing the space, and found the initial 2,200 square foot location off Hosea Williams Boulevard in a strip mall that became home to The Spotted Trotter for more than 10 years.

Kevin and Megan spent their Saturdays at the Peachtree Road farmers’ market, a locally beloved weekly tradition hosted in the Cathedral of St. Philip parking lot in Buckhead. They bought a retired Comcast van and built their business from the ground up with the support and engagement of their local community. 

When speaking about the early days of the business, Kevin sincerely celebrates the respect he holds for the team that helped him get where he is, even noting that one staffer is still with him today. As the business grew from a farmer’s market fixture into a full-fledged operation, Kevin and Megan began thinking of ways to create something groundbreaking for the industry.

Defining New American Charcuterie

At the time of The Spotted Trotter’s founding in 2009, salami was primarily exported from Italy and Spain and sometimes France, typically following centuries-old family traditions and using local ingredients. This inspired Kevin to begin experimenting with different methods using ingredients found in the States, blending tradition with a Southern flair and trademarking the term New American Charcuterie.

The key to the ultimate charcuterie board, Kevin says, is to start by eating with your eyes: engage the psyche by making the board visually appealing. Include enough elements to engage all five of the taste sensations (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami or meaty) at once, aiming to make your food a work of art.

Featured menu items at The Spotted Trotter range from traditional to experimental, with offerings ranging from classic Genoa to duck prosciutto and the Georgia Blue, which is stuffed with blue cheese from Sweetgrass Dairy in a small town in South Georgia. He developed a partnership with Mama Lil’s Pepper, a pepper picker in Oregon, after tasting it at a food show, spotlighting their logo on his packaging. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, Kevin recommends the Calabrian salami, made with vermouth-soaked whole capers dehydrated and folded in with garlic and Calabrian chili, which pairs nicely with a triple-cream cheese and something sweet. He also has seasonal offerings, including a blue cheese wrapped ribeye during the holidays.

Staying Grounded in the Slow Food Movement

Yet again faced with a challenge but rising to the occasion, Kevin’s push to expand the shop was met with bureaucratic red tape - and a life-altering pandemic that closed a lot of restaurants. After securing a USDA grant and gap funding to open a 15,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in 2019, the company pivoted to keeping things in-house and expanding to co-packing relationships, allowing the company to ship to grocery stores and opening the market beyond Atlanta restaurants. What was once a small, LTL operation now ships multiple pallets of product across the country.

The primary credo driving The Spotted Trotter is to do it right and do it better: “eat good meat, and stay hungry.” They have won several awards, including a Snail of Approval from Slow Food Atlanta, and Kevin was named Invest Atlanta’s Entrepreneur of the Year. They are the only charcuterie in the country with 100% GAP Certified livestock, which is the highest standard in food safety and quality for the animals in the US. They were also celebrated at the showcase for slow food at the Mondo de Gusto in Siena, a 160-year old butcher shop in Italy. These accolades are a showcase of Kevin’s commitment to building a legacy as an agent for meaningful change in the food industry.

Living Fully, the Southern Way

The Spotted Trotter’s development, legacy, and commitment to being an agent for meaningful change in the food industry reflects the Retire Southern ethos: fulfillment is not found waiting for someday, but in living meaningfully right now. Kevin states, “Nothing in balance moves forward… and in business, you have to be moving forward.” This means leaning into your courage to take calculated risks, following your compass, and finding your true purpose.

To hear Kevin’s story, find the latest episode of Retire Southern wherever you podcast.