"The Best Salami in the Country."
--Forbes Magazine
Salami, much like cheese, is a living product. Once taken out of its packaging it will continue to age and become drier and harder, the flavors more intense. After opening, it is best to preserve the remainder in plastic wrap in your refrigerator. Our products, unless otherwise noted are shelf-stable prior to opening of the interior cryovac packaging for up to 9 months. Also, we hate botulism and trust us, you would too. This article explains nitrates and nitrites better than we ever could.
People make babies faster than we make soppressata.
*worth it*
Yes, some people can cure meats quickly using chemical accelerants. We are confident that the old-school methods we deploy create the best possible products and we are not interested in sacrificing an ounce of quality (especially when something you buy may only be 6 ounces). We may not have every product in stock all the time. Patience is a virtue.
We don't care if you said it right, just enjoy it.
*taste > pronunciation*
We know the Italian jargon can be a bit intimidating. Don't worry, we are here to demystify all things Salume Beddu. We aren’t upping our pretentious quota by using long, hard-to-pronounce Italian names, we’re honoring the heritage of our products. And if you still have questions, just ask. We can wax poetic about our craft and we love sharing. At the end of the day, the most important thing to us is if you enjoy our product. Call it whatever you want.
Yes, we insist on doing things old school, by hand, till it’s perfect.
*sorry we’re not sorry*
The robots are NOT in danger of taking over our production - a human literally does every single step. The most complicated piece of machinery we own is the dishwasher. Attention to detail is a passion from hand-tying knots on casings to toasting spices whole in house. We leave nothing to chance or automation, our team has complete oversight over each product until it is lovingly delivered to your doorstep, grocer or plate.
Our roots may be in Italy, but we are decidedly in St. Louis.
*worth it*
Salume Beddu means beautiful cured meat in Sicilian.
Once upon a time, our half-Sicilian founder and head salumiere Mark Sanfilippo was working at award-winning restaurant Mozza for Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton. Bringing in samples and concepts he had crafted in his LA apartment, the chefs were thrilled, and these early salumi offerings found their way onto the menu. The more he learned about the art of the salumiere, and the importance of pork sourcing, the more he found it to be true that the best pork is in the Midwest, specifically his home state of Missouri. Mark moved back to Saint Louis with his wife and started networking at local farmers' markets in order to find the best sources for heritage pork.
Our methods and products draw from Italy, we import specific items that we haven't found anywhere else. But we're also passionate about our gritty city of St. Louis and thoroughly enjoy partnering with other local businesses, donating to charitable efforts and serving this incredible community of eaters.
No, we don’t know this pig’s name. But we’ll tell you the farmer’s life story.
*passion for products > hipster mania*
Our farmers are not just suppliers, they are our teammates in this crazy quest for the best. We build relationships with people as passionate as we are. Harry Cope (here on the right) does things like research the trees that can produce acorns in the first year of their life so his hogs can graze on nuts. He's gone so far as to give the hog an MRI before and after so he can analyze the fat content and understand the impact of nuts. NUTS. Just because he's that fiercely dedicated to his craft. You may call him crazy, we call him a friend. Just don't call him late for dinner. (That's a Harry Cope quote BTW.)
You’re right, it would be cheaper if we added fillers or used cure accelerants.
*sorry we’re not sorry*
Quality comes first for us. Period. We don't cut corners or add fillers because we don't want to ever eat our salumi and feel like it's not perfect. If we wouldn't serve it to our families, we won't serve it to our customers.
Of course we can explain how each of these salumi are different!
*how much time do you have?*
Seriously, we love to talk about what we do. Careful what you wish for. Call us anytime, stop by or drop us a line to join us in the world of artisan cured meats.