Tasty Salted Pig Parts

As of this writing, he is still a contender in the battle to be the Next Iron Chef.

A 1992 graduate of Johnson and Wales University, he's a strong proponent of "sustainable dining" and has a passion for all things offal. At 35, he's the Executive Chef at San Francisco's acclaimed Incanto, the first restaurant in California recognized as "Certified Humane".

And he recently teamed up with Incanto owner Mark Pastore to create Boccalone, the ultimate celebration of artisan salumi created by hand from sustainable ingredients.

He's Chris Cosentino.

John and I first discovered Chris and Mark's tasty salted pig parts at the East Bay Vintner's Alliance Urban Wine Experience in August at Alameda's Rosenblum Cellars and were immediately hooked. When we asked where we could buy the mortadella retail, the news that a CSA-style distribution program was "coming soon" prompted us to get on their mailing list.

In September we jumped at the chance to head over to Incanto, meet the men and women behind the salume and taste a wider variety of offerings: breakfast sausage, spicy Italian sausage, copa di testa and pancetta, to name just a few.

And we signed up as charter members of the Salumi Society. We chose the "piglet" sacchetto, two pounds of artisan meats, with pick-up scheduled twice a month at their Oakland factory location. Our first delivery scheduled for yesterday, Saturday November 3.

In our box: Spicy Italian Sausage, Mortadella, Soppressata di Calabria, Capocollo, and Ciccioli.

Oh. My. Gawd. Yum!

For those of you outside the bay area, hang tight... they're planning to begin shipping products early in 2008.

Now please excuse me while I go slice off a wedge of mortadella, grab a hunk of sour dough bread and cue up the Food Network for the Next Iron Chef...

Incanto | 1550 Church St., San Francisco | 415-641-4500
Boccalone | 1924 International Blvd, Oakland

Technorati Tags: Salume