The quest for the next best food just may be found in looking to the past. That’s what more and more people are finding as they turn to third and fourth generation food companies for that authentic, hand-touched knowledge of what makes great food.
One of the trends we’re continuing to watch is the ethnic influence on food, which is really part of the American tradition.
That’s why we loved the story behind the salumi we found at Volpi Foods on The Hill in St. Louis, Mo. It’s four generations of one family pouring themselves into finding the right mix of spices to give us a distinctive experience that is part history, part homemade, and all delicious.
Salumi is all about salted and dry-cured meats, and we used a selection of those meats as part of a great party platter to kick off the season of entertaining in our latest edition of Spill, with Joy Robertson.
While we called it a charcuterie platter, since that’s a term that is more familiar to people, technically we created a mix of affettato (sliced meats) and cheeses. The salumi we chose are all Italian cured meats, served with small sides of crackers, cornichons, and spicy mustard.
The meats are also what make the difference in the specialty pizza seen in our photo–find the recipe here.
The foods that catch our attention not only reflect the trends that we’ve identified, but also have to taste good and deliver something distinctive, set apart from the crowd. We love food that cries out to be touched, shared, relished and remembered. That’s what we found in this Midwestern ethnic tradition—four generations of family working to create something they love, and delivering a product in which the experience matches the promise—great style, a great story, and great flavor.
Also check out our our :90 Seconds in the Kitchen show with Chef Cari to learn more about how to bring the hand-touched world of salumi to your next occasion.
Disclaimer: No remuneration was received for this article. The Food Channel’s sister company, Noble, has provided service to some of the companies mentioned.
