Belcampo Launching $3,750 "Meat Camp" Exclusively For Women and Gay Men

The concept of "meat camp" may summon images of heterosexual, beer-swilling dudes taking turns poking at a Weber kettle grill outside a cabin. That's a stigma that Bay Area-based sustainable butchery/restaurant group Belcampo Meat Co. is aiming to fix, by leading women and gay men through a series of, er, hands-on experiences with meat. This summer, Belcampo is hosting two weekend Meat Camps on its Shasta Valley farm: one exclusively for women (August 6-9) and the other just for gay men (August 13-16). The camp is designed to teach attendees how to butcher their own meat and grill it over a wood fire, and it comes with a whopping price tag: $3,750 for three days. (If you're willing to share accommodations, it goes down to a mere $2,500.)

The Meat Camp freight includes three days of "glamping" in fancy tents on the farm, not to mention yoga classes, fitness boot camps, and stretching exercises. But the real focus is, of course, the meat, with sessions dedicated to knife skills, bolognese prowess, butchering rabbit, sausage-making, and grilling chops. Belcampo CEO Anya Fernald and President Bronwen Hanna-Korpi will lead many of the meaty meetings, and meals will be served family-style.

Ready to sign up for Meat Camp? Step right this way, and start brushing up on your friendship-bracelet skills. As for straight men, Meat Camp is still an option through Belcampo's "Executive Retreat" program, designed for corporate team-building through carnivorousness.