Neon Pig to bring farm-fresh food to Oxford

Published 12:00 pm Thursday, September 24, 2015

Want a meal that’s straight from the farm to your dinner table?

Pretty soon you can get just that when Neon Pig opens an eatery on North Lamar Boulevard next to Big Bad Breakfast.

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The popular Tupelo eatery’s owners decided to branch out into Oxford where some of its biggest suppliers are located on farms in Lafayette County.

Ashley Peeler, 34, of Amory, who has worked at the Tupelo butcher shop and restaurant for almost two years, will spearhead operations when the Oxford location opens in mid-October.

“I lived there when I went to school at Ole Miss,” he said. “I love Oxford. I came out of the womb saying hotty toddy. It’s a great town, and a lot of the farms we use are around that area.

That includes Brown’s Family Dairy Farm for pork and milk; Woodson Ridge for vegetables; Grit Girl for grains and rice; the People’s Farm for sheep and even local breweries in Oxford and Yalobusha for homegrown craft beers.

“We look forward to working with many more local farms in that area when we arrive,” Peeler said. “I think it’s a great thing knowing where your food comes from. The farm-to-table concept is really catching on.”

At the Neon Pig’s butcher shop area you will be able to buy fresh cuts of meat, including beef, pork, sheep, chicken, fish and more, as well as produce, jams and jellys.

“Every cut of steak is available,” Peeler said. “If it’s on the cow, we get it cut. We break down whole-grain grass-fed cows.”

But you can also sit down at a table or the bar and watch someone cook up a burger or another menu item while sipping on a beverage.

“We work hard and we work very clean,” Peeler said. “It’s an intense but a fun job. We love dealing with the public and love going all out to support the customers’ needs.”

The Oxford Neon Pig location will be an effort with four partners: Peeler, Mitch McCamey, Seth Copeland and Trish McCluney, who have turned the Tupelo location into a bustling success.

“We’re excited to come to Oxford,” said McCamey. “All of those people there are really going to get it. Oxford is smart, well-traveled and is really going to get what we’re trying to do. We will work hard, have fun and use every farmer we can and serve the best food in the world.”