In a small town tucked between rolling hills and quiet streets, there stands a butcher shop unlike any other. To outsiders, it’s just a store with fresh cuts and a hand-painted sign reading Dad’s Candy Store.
But to those who’ve grown up there, it’s a legacy, a cornerstone of community, and a shrine to the man behind the counter. The name itself is a local joke, coined years ago by dad himself, who always said, “Forget chocolate — the real candy is a marbled ribeye.”
But Dad’s Candy Store is more than a place to buy meat. It’s where stories live, where secrets of the grill are passed down like old family recipes, and where one cherished pair of barbecue tongs has carried the weight of generations.
Long before the store opened, before the first sign went up or the first steak was cut, there was a backyard. A small one, with uneven grass and a rusty old grill that always needed a kick to get started. That’s where dad first made magic happen — not in a fancy kitchen, but hunched over flames, the air filled with smoke and laughter.
He’d man the grill like a conductor leading an orchestra, tongs in hand, flipping steaks with the kind of attention usually reserved for surgeons. It didn’t matter if it was pouring rain, if the snow reached his knees, or if the summer sun beat down like a hammer — if it was Father’s Day, dad was grilling.
And it wasn’t just about the food. It was about the ritual. The sizzle as meat hit the grates. The smell of his favorite meat rub falling on the flames and bursting into the delicious barbecue smell. The satisfied hums from family and friends as the first bites disappeared and someone inevitably would say, “Oh dad, you’ve outdone yourself.”
The pride in his eyes when those words came… that was the real reward. A pride earned over decades of trial and error, singed eyebrows, and meat that sometimes turned out more "well" than "done." He learned by doing. By standing guard over the flame when others would have gone inside. And always, those same old tongs in his hand.
A recipe for a perfect Father’s Day
Now, years later, the tongs have a new home. Passed down to his son, the same way dad once received them from his father. Slightly bent at the tip, polished from years of gripping steaks, and worn with the fingerprints of history, they’re more than a tool — they’re a tradition. This Father’s Day, the torch — or rather, the tongs — pass on again. And here’s how to honor that legacy with a steak worthy of dad’s standard.
Ingredients
• 2 bone-in ribeye steaks (1.5 to 2 inches thick)
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
1. Bring to room temp: Take the steaks out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Season generously: Rub both sides with olive oil, then coat heavily with as a minimum salt and pepper. Or may I suggest your favorite rub.
3. Preheat the grill: Get it hot — around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Flames are welcome, as dad would say.
4. Sear: Place the steaks on the hottest part of the grill for 3-4 minutes per side to get a solid char.
5. Finish with flavor: Move to indirect heat. Add butter, garlic, and herbs to the top of each steak, then close the lid and cook to desired doneness (dad liked medium-rare: about 130 degrees Fahrenheit internal).
6. Rest: Pull the steaks off the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes. No exceptions.
7. Serve: Slice thick, serve family-style, and wait for the oohs and awes.
More than a meal
Father’s Day isn’t just a day on the calendar. It’s a feeling. It’s the sound of laughter in the backyard, the clink of bottles, the flicker of flame. It’s about the generations of family around the table, the memories made between bites, and the deep, abiding love that lives in every perfectly grilled steak.
At Butler Meats we still sell the best cuts in town. But the real treasure is the legacy — one built with smoke, sweat, and those old tongs that have flipped a thousand steaks and will flip a thousand more.
This Father’s Day, whether you’re the one holding the tongs or the one watching and learning, remember it’s not just about cooking a great steak. It’s about honoring the hands that taught you how.
So, fire up the grill, crack open a cold one, and cook with pride. Dad would.
David Theiss is the owner of Butler Gourmet Meats, serving Carson City for over 50 years.