Cara Nicoletti

Cara Nicoletti is changing how the sausage gets made (literally). The fourth-generation butcher is founder and CEO of Seemore Meats & Veggies, a women-owned sausage company named after her grandfather, Seymour. Cara’s sausages incorporate humanely raised meat and up to 35% fresh vegetables in an effort to reduce consumption, and her commitment to minimizing their environmental impact has given the “La Dolce Beet-a Sausage” carbon neutral status. 

“I was raised in a family that saw helping people feed themselves and their families well as one of the noblest jobs a person can have,” Cara says. “I'm really proud that I get to carry that tradition on and do it on a much wider scale.” Beyond being a badass butcher, Cara is also a recipe developer, cookbook author, and host whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Food Network, Bon Appetit, Vogue, and more. 

“Cara breaks barriers every day,” says Juliana Pesavento, who nominated her for the Hall of Femme. “Being a female butcher is rare and launching a meat-focused business as a woman is even more rare. She's incredibly dynamic and an all-around rock star!” Juliana also praises Cara for hiring and guiding other women at Seemore’s, something Cara takes seriously. “I have never for one second regretted assembling an all-female team,” she says. “I cannot overstate how proud I am of every single one of them every day.”

With so much success to show for her career, how does Cara define it? “My measure of success changes every day,” she says. “Some days I achieve huge things — raising money or making sales goals — but some days I feel successful just for getting out of bed, or watering the plants. I'm comfortable with that because it keeps me striving to improve in all areas of my life.”

Find Cara on Instagram.