Variety at The Chopp Shoppe

As a kid, Sonny Johnson remembers going to the butcher shop next to the Great Northern Bar in Whitefish with his grandmother to buy pork chops and bologna every week, a memorable experience that helped spark a passion.

When Johnson was 5 years old, he started helping his uncle cut meat and he’s worked in just about every butcher shop in the Flathead Valley ranging from Safeway when he was 14 to his most recent run at Perfect Cuts in Columbia Falls where he worked for 18 years.

“I cleaned the meat department at Safeway and I started cutting a few years later and I started my whole adventure,” Johnson said.

After 50 years in the business, Johnson opened The Chopp Shoppe in Whitefish next to the Alpine Village Market in the former laundromat where he sells local and regional black angus choice beef, elk, pork, fish and more.

He sources from local and regional suppliers, including pork and elk from Lower Valley Processing in Kalispell, burger and tenderloin from KM Montana Grassfed Beef and seafood from Flathead Fish and Seafood Company. Once the meat reaches Whitefish, Johnson cuts, marinates and smokes everything in-house.

Every Friday, Johnson smokes a small pork loin roast, which he sells hot, and he regularly smokes prime rib, brisket, pulled pork and New York strip steak that’s ready to go for customers to bring home and heat up on a hot grill or skillet.

Along with bulk and link pork, the Sheboygan dogs are The Chopp Shoppe’s signature pork item, a bratwurst made with equal parts meat and chopped onion and garlic.

Johnson works with Alpine Village Market owner Alan Reisch, whose grandfather hired Johnson more than 30 years ago to work at the market. Between the two stores, he says it’s a one-stop-shop and they strive to facilitate easy meals for their customers and cultivate relationships with regulars.

“It’s a little more personalized here,” Johnson said. “It’s very heartwarming and it makes me feel good and I try to take care of them. It’s like getting your haircut, you find somebody who does it the way you like it and you’ll tend to go back. I try to be consistent and make sure everybody is taken care of.”

In addition to quality meat, Johnson also likes to educate his customers on how to cook certain meat properly, from preparation to meat temperature and cook times. He spent the last two years rounding up employees who share his passion for meat.

As Johnson prepares for holiday meals, he has an order list for Hutterite turkeys, ranging from 14 to 30 pounds, from the Heart Butte area. They are harvested on the Friday before Thanksgiving and are refrigerated till they are picked up. For Christmas, he’s working to stock up on seafood and prime rib, along with a holiday salami filled with nuts and craisins.

While Johnson provides the standard meat cuts for his customers, he also likes to serve a variety of products, including unagi, escargot, beef tongue, beef heart and he started making smoked dog treats and dog food made with ground beef and peas.

“My thing is to help folks out and my motto is to feed the fish,” Johnson said.

For more information, visit Alpine Village Market on Facebook.