Knives Down with Taryn Barker

Backing Yourself, Finding Your Place and Growing Into Leadership

Confidence doesn’t always come before taking the next step. Sometimes, it grows because you take it.

In this episode of Knives Down, Alana Empson sits down with Taryn Barker, owner of The Little Butcher in Port Moody, British Columbia, and Team Canada’s captain for the 2028 World Butchers’ Challenge.

Their conversation follows a journey from teenage counter assistant to business owner and international competitor, with plenty of uncertainty along the way.

Taryn started working in a butcher shop at around 15 or 16. What began as a part-time job gradually became a career, and by 22 she was opening a shop with her former boss.

But owning a business didn’t mean she had finished learning.

Curious about what lay beyond cutting prepared primals, Taryn began exploring whole animal butchery. She sought out local farmers, watched tutorials and brought an experienced butcher into the shop to teach her and her team.

That willingness to ask questions and seek help has continued to shape her career.

Taryn speaks openly about self-doubt, including the moments when years of experience still don’t feel like enough. Fellow business owners, friends and mentors have helped her work through those feelings, offering encouragement and somewhere to share both the wins and the difficult days.

An international trip opened another door.

Travelling to New Zealand for Meatstock introduced Taryn to a butchery community whose openness and enthusiasm changed her view of what the trade could offer. Further experiences in Brazil and Germany brought new friendships, ideas and opportunities to learn.

When applications opened for Canada’s first World Butchers’ Challenge team, she wondered whether she was good enough to try out.

She applied anyway.

Since then, Taryn has represented Canada in Sacramento and Paris. Now, she is preparing to captain the team for Australia in 2028, bringing both excitement and an honest awareness of the responsibility ahead.

For Taryn, growing the team also means helping grow the wider industry.

Through organising a provincial butchery competition in British Columbia, she is creating opportunities for butchers to test their skills, connect and share knowledge. She describes the satisfaction of seeing people support one another and work towards lifting the whole trade.

That sense of belonging matters inside her own shop, too.

At The Little Butcher, Taryn has built a welcoming environment with a predominantly female workforce. She hopes people see it as somewhere they can learn without feeling intimidated by being the youngest person, or the only woman, in the room.

Asked whether she has found her place in butchery, her answer is clear:

“I feel like I have found my career home.”

Her story is a reminder of how much can grow from curiosity, connection and the decision to try—even while doubt is still there.

Listen to the full Knives Down episode with Taryn Barker on Spotify and follow the show for more conversations from the global butchery community.

Know someone whose story we should share, or have a topic you’d like us to explore? We’d love to hear from you.