The best part of being a food writer, I think, is the random and unexpected encounters with the most interesting people. Larry Mola is a perfect example.

His is the cheerful face behind the counter, the ebullient New York accent always ready with suggestions on what to make for dinner.

Larry isn't what you might expect a guy in his industry to be. He isn't a burly, Paul Bunyanish fellow swinging entire sides of beef across the shop (although he probably could, and he does weld a knife with ease).

He is the assistant team leader and award-winning master butcher in the meat department at Whole Foods Market in Annapolis.

Given that meat and poultry remain a culinary staple - lately wrought with an inundation of confusing yet important information, grass-fed or grain finished? All-natural or organic? Local or sustainable? - Larry is a good guy to know.

In high school, Larry needed to support his musical passion for the sitar, so in 1981 he got his first job at Berlin Brothers Wholesale Meats, the regionally famous but now defunct European butchery.

Larry started as a stock boy and finally was accepted as an apprentice. Butchery is hard, cold, sometimes dangerous, always physical work, and an apprenticeship requires at least two to three years of intensive study. Techniques handed down from generation to generation are instilled in the journeyman, who learns how to identify and cut each piece of meat, how to utilize every part of the animal, and how to clean, prepare, cook and serve every last bit.

After 10 years at Berlin Brothers, Larry went to Stew Leonard's. The store is famous not only for their size, but also for exceptional customer service. Larry was a head butcher there for six years, until he was offered an opportunity to work with Zabar's in New York City, a gourmet grocery frequented by chefs and foodies. Sometime later he excitedly seized the opportunity to open new locations for Whole Foods Market, which brought him circuitously to Annapolis.

Two years ago, Larry was asked to compete in a nationwide artisan butchery contest. After several rounds, he was pared against four other butchers in New York City. He came in third place that year and second place the next. You wouldn't think it, if you were rushing into the store concentrating on only what you need, but that man behind the counter is one of the best butchers in the country!

Larry says his butchery talent lies in any cut where presentation is important: he has spent so much of his career catering to picky chefs who want meat trimmed in a particular way that finicky cuts are now old hat. In the old days, he says, everything was cut by hand, so he has skills - knife skills. His favorite cuts are crowns of lamb, frenched racks and tomahawk steaks, but also less expensive cuts he knows can become rich, velvety and comforting.

Butchery is rising as an artisan food movement and the master butcher must be an expert on everything from dry aging to charcuterie, from smoking to grilling. Lately, the fad in meat is to make food a hobby. Customers are requesting whole pork butts for home-smoking or pork belly for homemade bacon. Timeless trends remain turning inexpensive cuts into a tasty meal through slow roasting, slow cooking, braising and smoking. Whole Foods is a popular place for meat lovers, not only because the store offers a barrage of information about the product, but also because the butcher shop will custom cut or grind any meat on request.

Following the very sad demise of neighborhood butchers such as Mike Smollen at My Butcher and More, we are lucky in the Baltimore area to have a local voice at the meat counter. Go meet Larry. Be momentarily entertained by his accent and earnest demeanor. Ask him for one of those tomahawk steaks. He calls it the perfect roast for two: an unusual cut (to say the least), a conversation starter and a delicious entrée for your Valentine meal!

Pork Chops

a la Larry Mola

Season 1¼-inch thick pork chops with Bosari Seasoning Salts

Pan sear the chops in a heavy pan over high heat about 4 to 5 minutes per side; remove from pan. Add a little olive oil, fresh rosemary, crushed raw garlic, fresh thyme, half a shallot diced small and ½ cup wild mushrooms to hot pan. Sauté for about 10 minutes over medium high. Deglaze with white wine, finish with butter for richness and depth. Season to taste. Serve over the chop.

You can also use this recipe for steak, deglazing with red wine.

Leg of Lamb

a la Larry Mola

Coat a 3 to 3½ pound leg or rack of lamb with ½ to ¾ cup olive oil, two sprigs of thyme chopped finely, one full sprig of fresh rosemary, removed from the stem, crushed raw garlic, 1 tablespoon Bosari and ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs. Mix well to form a paste. Add more crumbs or olive oil if necessary. Coat the lamb all over. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes per pound to medium rare. Let the meat rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Lamb Rack

a la Larry Mola

If you are serving a crown rack, add rosemary or oregano, chopped feta, sundried or roasted tomatoes and minced parsley or mint to ½ pound ground lamb and form into a large meatball. Place the meatball in the center of the crown, roasting for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.