Taglio revives the old butchery ways with a 50-year-old Pointe-Saint-Charles smokehouse

Honouring old-school techniques with a hands-on approach, Taglio's butchery and Montreal smoked meat keep the city's food heritage alive.

J.P. Karwacki

February 6, 2025- Read time: 6 min

Photography by Phil Tabah / @phlop

It's always "they don't make it like they used to" or "it was better in the old days."

That's true sometimes, more so when it comes to a recipe. After all, it'll be hard to replace a master once they've closed up shop. While it's not impossible to find young blood to replace a beloved casse-croûte, what happens if Montreal's time-honoured producers of bagels or smoked meat let their craft disappear with them? These can be complicated crafts in a time that wants things yesterday.

It makes someone like Matthew Berry more than a rarity. At the Pointe-Saint-Charles butcher shop Taglio he co-owns with his partner David Malka, he’s bringing back a way of doing things that the city is losing—the kind of butchery that involves patience, precision, and respect for the craft for food that doesn’t rush, cut corners, or compromise.

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