Dollar Meat Store

元昌燒臘肉食公司

For over 50 years, Dollar Meat Store has been a cornerstone of Chinatown’s culinary traditions. Co-owned and operated by the Chow and Wong families, this Chinese butcher serves fresh, farm-to-table meats carved to customers’ requests. Beyond fresh offerings, Dollar Meat Store specializes in dried Chinese sausages and hams, prepared using traditional methods.

成立已經有50多年歷史的元昌燒臘肉食公司，是華埠飲食傳統的支柱。這公司是由周氏和黃氏兩個家族共同擁有和營運，這家中式肉食店提供新鮮和從農場運送到餐桌的肉類，並可按顧客要求切割。除了新鮮的肉食外，元昌還專門生產使用傳統方法製作的中式臘腸和火腿。

Trusted Butcher Experts

Generations of loyal customers have come to rely on Dollar Meat Store and their trusted, experienced staff. These butchers continue to serve people in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, offering hand-cut meats tailored to Chinese cuisine, and prepared just how the customer likes it best. In Chinese culture, the freshness of the meat goes before all else, and many feel that meat should be butchered and cut on the same day. Dollar Meat Store is a place where such culinary traditions are honoured and sustained.

值得信賴的肉食專家

多年來，忠心的顧客一直信賴著元昌及其經驗豐富和可靠的員工。這些切肉師傅一直以來都以粵語、普通話和英語為顧客服務，並根據顧客的喜好提供適合中式烹調的人手切割肉類。在華人文化中，肉類的新鮮程度至為重要，許多人認為肉類應該在同一天屠宰和切割，而元昌正是一間尊重和維持這種烹調傳統的店舖。

[Business co-owner Joey Wong (left) and butcher Paul Su | 合夥人黃國政(左) 和切肉師傅 Paul Su]

Our customers keep returning because of our employees. They like that our butchers know exactly how they want their meats cut.

我們的顧客總是因為我們的員工而回來光顧。他們喜歡的是我們的切肉師傅能夠準確地知道客人想要如何切割肉類。

Joey Wong 黃國政

Hidden Strengths

Like many Chinatown businesses, Dollar Meat Store is more than what meets the eye. The Chow and Wong families have been at the helm of the shops’ humble beginnings as a half-unit storefront in the early 1980s, growing steadily to include a second store and a federally-inspected production facility, exporting to global markets. Their team of over 120 people are the force behind products that serve Chinese and non-Chinese patrons: from the families’ home cooked dinner, to popular Canadian restaurants and airline caterers.

深藏不露的實力

像許多華埠商戶一樣，元昌燒臘肉食公司的業務範圍不僅僅是表面所見。 從80年代初期在只有半邊店面的細小規模開始，周、黃兩家一直在主理著店舖的業務，並穩步擴展至成立第二家店舖和一間經聯邦政府審批的生產設施，同時更將產品出口至全球各地市場。他們為數一百二十多人的團隊，代表著為華裔和非華裔顧客所提供產品背後的力量，而產品對象包括了自家烹飪的家庭、本國著名的餐廳以至航空公司餐飲服務等。

Since we started our production facility in the 80s, we have expanded into many markets across the globe… New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, USA, to name a few.

自從80年代開設生產設施以來，我們的業務已擴展到全球各地的市場，遠至新西蘭、澳洲、日本、香港和美國等地。

Joey Wong 黃國政

Traditions for the Future

Dollar Meat Store maintains traditional methods to serve today’s and tomorrow’s clientele. Since their inception in the 1970s, the store continues to preserve the cultural heritage of dried Chinese sausages and specialty meats in Chinatown. Today, the shop is a trusted supplier to Chinese restaurants across the region, providing not only meats but also the cultural expertise that keeps these traditions alive.

未來的傳統

元昌燒臘堅持以傳統方法為現有和將來的顧客提供服務。自1970年代成立以來，該店一直在保護華埠傳統的臘腸和特色肉類的文化遺產。如今，該店已成為本地中餐館一個可信賴的供應商。所以元昌提供的不僅是肉類，還有是令這些傳統習俗保持活力的專業文化知識。

Championing Chinatown

The Chow and Wong families’ commitment to their community goes beyond the walls of their shop. They helped unite Chinatown merchants during the BBQ meat protests, and advocated for the development of the Chinatown Plaza mall and parkade. This spirit of community activism is passed on through the generations, including with Joey Wong, one of two current owners of the business. Together with other community leaders, Joey hopes to give a voice to the Chinatown business community, ensuring its success in an evolving landscape.

支持華埠

周、黃兩家對社區的承諾並不只是停留在他們店面之內。他們更曾經協助團結華埠商家參與捍衛燒臘文化的抗議活動，並倡議建立華埠廣場和停車場。他們這種社區精神一直傳承至下一代，包括目前兩位東主之一的黃國政。他希望與其他社區領袖聯手為華埠商界發聲，確保他們在不斷變化的環境中取得成功。

[This 1967 article on the wall of Dollar Meat Store honours Mary Chan. When her Chinatown storefront closed, Mary decided to help out at Dollar Meat Store to continue the traditions of Chinese barbecued duck, chicken and pork. Many in Chinatown will remember Mary as a skilled commander of the BBQ chopping block, wielding the cleaver with strength and precision.]

[這篇1967年的文章懸掛在元昌燒臘店內的牆上以紀念員工陳瑪麗。當年陳瑪麗自己在華埠的店舖關後，她抉定到元昌幫忙，以延續中式燒鴨、油雞和叉燒等食物的傳統。華埠有許多人都會記得這位站在砧板前熟練和精準地揮舞著菜刀的指揮官。]