What happens in France, doesn’t always stay in France. Sometimes it travels home.

After last year’s first ever Grrls Meat Camp I hosted here at Camont,  we all decided we wanted to do it again. So sharpen your wits and knives, pack a duffle bag of goodies to share, and tell the Boss/BF/GF/Kids au revoir. Ladies, we’re heading to Chicago for the Second International All-Grrl, Meatcentric, Gathering of the Clan- Grrls Meat Camp. October 25-28 2012.

Last year was a ball in Gascony. The local ladies- Christiane, Jehanne, Steph, Franny, Theresa and Kate welcomed the well-traveled Cathy, Kari, Camas, Sarah, Barbara, Melora, Rachel and Beth to the French neighborhood markets and farms. What happened was magic. Meat Magic and more. You can read more about it here, here, & here as reported by fearless cub reporter Cathy Barrow both on her blog and for the Washington Post online.

How to follow that? After our Alumni Plus dinner in NYC during the IACP conference in March, it was proposed we bring Grrls Meat Camp stateside. So we’re heading to the center of the USA where Kari Underly and Kathy Skutecki will help co-host the invited Grrls in their home area.  We’ve sourced a campsite just 1.5 hours from Chicago with a kitchen and wifi, and rounding up some meat from local farms. Now, we need you.

So what exactly is Grrls Meat Camp?  Everything you think it could be and more- butchery, bonfires, and friendship. Maybe even badges to earn this year. (Seriously, love the badges! Sort of like tattoos for wimps)

Grrls Meat Camp is a cooperative workshop/retreat where each participant shares her strengths, resources and  energy as we learn from each other.

Come. Hop a plane, train or mobylette to Chicago. Let’s work together, in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration, to be inspired and instructed by the generous spirited women farmers and butchers, cooks and artists, friends and neighbors- Grrlfriends in Meat.

To be invited, please reply in a comment below or email: katehill (at) email (dot) com.

While Grrls Meat Camp is still growing and learning its role, we are keeping the numbers small and by invitation only. If you know a grrl who should be there, please let us know. We are juggling bunks and numbers to keep expenses down. We’ll know how much we’ll need to kick into the kitty soon- Camp expenses will run around $200 per person, (including three nights) plus something extra for food and transport. Public Workshops are in the planning to help offset some costs and extend a hand to young butchery students to come.

Best wishes from Gascony, Kate