Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2014 www.gourmetnews.com 4 2 SPECIALTY MEATS confit and pancetta, in addition to pâtés, sausages and bacon. By using the methods of wet cure, dry cure and smoking and call- ing on original herb and spice combina- tions, Chop is bringing new and interesting products to eager consumers. One of the upsides to American charcu- terie is the newness of the craft. "When people can eat meats prepared in different ways than their parents prepared it, I think the newness of it is part of the allure," said Marty Manion, Ex- ecutive Director of the American Association of Meat Processors, whose approximately 1,100 members include small meat processors, butch- ers and retailers. Manion, who attends numerous AAMP and state affiliate shows each year, reflected on the growing American en- thusiasm for charcu- terie. "Our members are excited by it. They're see- ing a lot of growth from it. Many of them are dedicating a good portion of their busi- ness to get into this aspect of the industry because of the popularity and the potential growth they see." Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria in Austin, Texas throws a Lone Star accent on charcuterie, producing a range of prod- ucts for its counter sales and restaurant, in- cluding both Italian salumi and French charcuterie specialties like hot smoked bacon and hams, cold smoked speck, French jambons and Italian guanciale. Salt & Time's top seller is its salami, with orig- inal flavors like Texas pecan and pequin chili with oregano. Head Butcher and co- owner Bryan Butler sees consumer interest in cured and smoked meats rising. "I think the recent boom still has a way to grow," he said. "It's such a great medium to play with flavor, textures and ingredients. There's plenty of talented chefs and butchers eager to show their creations. Also with more craft butchers opening, charcuterie is a nat- ural fit for maximum utilization." Butler believes that a key for any butcher getting into charcuterie is knowledge of product and processes. "We take the oppor- tunity to educate our consumers about our products and techniques," he said. "We sample a lot, and so far the feedback is pos- itive. We always get praised for our knowl- edge and customer service." As AAMP Executive Director Manion sees it, the increasing con- sumer affinity for charcuterie and the often small-scale local producers who craft it fits with the larger farm-to-fork trend, in which consumers demonstrate an increasing de- sire to know where their food is coming from. Local works just fine for Chop Butchery, as Finley and his staff make use of its location at the renowned Portland Farmers Market – rated in the top five nationally by Eating Well Magazine – to test new vari- eties of charcuterie. "We're always having peo- ple come up to us at the farm- ers market on a daily basis, asking, 'What's new this week?'" said Finley. "We get a lot of feedback." As for Finley's ultimate goal: "I want there to be more butcher shops in the city of Portland and everywhere else," he said. "Even though it's competition, I don't really care. We really want people to have a butcher counter to go to and a butcher who knows the product and can help them along the way. I have gained a lot of knowl- edge, and if we can help more shops open, we're more than happy to do it." GN BY DAVE BERNARD Eric Finley is trying to bring back the neighborhood butcher shop, and he is doing it one pan of brine at a time. Equipped with a USDA-certified curing fa- cility as well as access to one of the coun- try's top farmers markets and the wealth of customer feedback it provides, Finley and his two-location Chop Butchery & Charcu- terie in Portland, Ore. are at the forefront of the growing charcuterie trend that is bringing artisan cured meats to American butcher shops, restaurants and specialty food stores nationwide. The charcuterie trend has grown over the last seven years, according to Finley. He points to chef Brian Polcyn's 2005 book, "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing," as helping to spark interest in charcuterie, with chefs and butcher shops in New York City, Chicago and Portland leading the way in creating innovative new varieties of prosciutto, pancetta, pâté and confit, in addition to more familiar cured meats, like bacon, hams and sausages. "Charcuterie was definitely an art that had not been around for a long time," Fin- ley said. "There were a lot of old timers where a lot of information had been lost, but after the book came out, chefs started showcasing it more, and we wanted to spe- cialize in it." Chop Butchery has seen its salami busi- ness grow 300 percent in just the last year. The company's eight varieties of salami ranging from fennel to chorizo to curry are sold across the East and West Coasts. In ad- dition to packaged salami, Chop sells a range of house-prepared specialty meats in its shops, including coppa, lomo, bresola, Charcuterie Trend Introduces Americans to All Things Cured Viola Imports' Italian Acquerello Rice: An Ideal Side Dish for Any Meat Entrée Imported by Viola Imports since 2001, Ac- querello is the "Ultimate Rice," representative of Italian excellence in the world for its uniqueness and for its extraordinary qualities. Acquerello is estate- grown and processed by the Rondolino family on the Colombara farm in the heart of Vercelli province in Piedmont. The Rondolino family has been cultivating rice since 1935 and still today works together pas- sionately to improve the product with modern and innovative technologies. Acquerello offers the su- perior culinary characteris- tics prized by chefs worldwide. It cooks to perfection, absorb- ing liquids while each grain remains intact with a superior texture and a beautiful fin- ished look. It is the perfect choice for risotto, but is also excellent for global cuisines. Having immersed them- selves in the culture of the world of rice and with contin- ued research and dedication, the Rondolino family has been able to achieve a truly unique product. The com- pany begins by first choosing only one kind of rice to culti- vate, the superior carnaroli variety. This is followed by the aging of the unhusked grains immediately after cultivation for one year and up to seven years. The process continues with the gentle husking using the exclusive Helix method, the meticulous selection process of only the perfect grains and finally, the re-coat- ing of the rice with its own precious germ. For more information, contact Viola Im- ports by phone at 870.690.0790, or visit www.violaimports.com. Seattle Gourmet Foods Spices up Meat and Seafood Seattle Gourmet Foods is a manufac- turer based in Kent, Wash. that consists of a variety of gourmet brands across several categories. One of these brands is Quinn's, a collection of salsas and pepper jellies whose recipes are based on flavors from the Southwest. Quinn's pepper jellies come in five flavors: jalapeño, peach habanero, raspberry, marionberry and cilantro lime. All flavors come in 12-ounce glass jars at twelve per case. Try all of these flavors as a marinade for seafood, ham or pork. For more information on the products that Seattle Gourmet Foods and Quinn's offer, visit the company's website at www.seattlegourmetfoods.com, email sales@seattlegourmetfoods.com, or call 800.800.9490.

• Cover