Wagin Woolorama: Prince of Flesh Vince Garreffa on everything lamb

Larger than-life celebrity butcher Vince Garreffa, known as The Prince of Flesh, has had a long and lustrous career — from a humble Italian upbringing to owner of Mondo Butcher in Inglewood, he knows people love the hand that feeds them. Vince will be in his element when he attends Wagin Woolorama on March 8 and 9 to demonstrate his craft to the public and the many lamb producers that regularly attend. He has been added to this year’s event to butcher a lamb carcase and show how to utilise the secondary cuts to reduce all waste. “The flavour of Australian lamb is legendary — best in the world. I have travelled to many countries, and many are not using Aussie lamb — they need to look more closely,” Vince said. “Lamb was so expensive for many years, and with the rack and back strap still the expensive ‘king’, we discovered that budget-minded consumers could enjoy leg and spare rib cuts without breaking the bank. “We have also designed quick and easy cooking recipes using small portions of the carcase, whether the meal is meant for singles, couples or a large family.” Knowing that all farmers dream of adding butcher skills to their portfolio, Vince has also come up with a solution to dissecting a carcase without the use of expensive electric butcher equipment. Vince was born in 1951 in a little village in southern Italy called Taurianova. To escape poverty, his father, Rocco Garreffa, sailed to Australia intent on starting a better life for his family — he fell in love with Perth. Four year later, the family joined him and Vince’s first meal in Australia was a packet of Mills and Wares Devon cream biscuits. “That white pastry cream tasted like heaven,” he said. “We started our Australian life with our sponsors, the Dominic Italiano family and the five of us lived in one room of their house.” Three months later in their own rented house, the Garreffa family resorted to growing their own fruit and vegetables with meat bought off a farm and chopped up by Vince’s mother, who did all the cooking. “I loved my mother’s cooking, as did the many Australian families that she traded meals for carnations,” Vince said. By the age of nine, Vince was helping his older brother sell newspapers. His world started to open up — he learnt valuable business lessons. Vince stepped up to helping brother Garry at the local butcher shop, where his polite manners and good diction on the phone impressed the boss. Persuaded by his father, Vince decided it best to take on a apprenticeship in the butcher trade which was rewarded with a “bravo” from the head of the family. Within a week, he was signed out of Mt Lawley High School to become a butcher. Vince’s pledge to himself saw him soar. “By the age of 16 and a bit, I won the best apprentice butcher award in Western Australia,” he said. He met Anne and was married in 1974 and together, they forged a strong partnership in life and business. In 1979, at a location in Midland, Mondo Di Carne, or World of Meat, was born. Mondo established a reputation for providing the best meat around and expanded into wholesale, primarily to supply to restaurants. Mondo’s retail store relocated to Inglewood in 1997 and was seen as one of Perth’s most significant and celebrated gourmet butchers and grocers. Along the way, Vince rubbed shoulders with the city’s best chefs and soon garnered a reputation for his cooking too. His vibrant personality led to invitations to speaking events, and a slot on radio 6PR with Graham Mabury lasting 26 years. At Anne’s suggestion the couple started their famous backyard fundraisers, which over 25 years raised more than $5m, of which $4m was for Lifeline and $1m for various charities. Vince stepped back from the business in 2021 after a small heart attack and son Robert took over. “I have had a lovely run,” he said. “Two uneducated people found Perth — they raised that family with good manners, good work ethic — gave us an education and they gave us love — we would have been nothing without them.”