Okay, okay, okay, I’m so excited right now! I just returned from San Francisco on a tour of the Columbus Salami factory! Now, that alone might not be enough to get you so worked up that you can barely form sentences, but as a chef, this was one of the coolest things I’ve ever had the good fortune to experience! So much so that I have to calm down for a second and collect my thoughts so I can give you all of the details.

Alright, I think I’ve pulled myself together, so here goes. I was invited along with several other Market Kitchen Managers and Bonnie Willis, our Kitchen Sales Manager, to fly down for a two-day tour of the Columbus facilities and to taste all of their wonderful products. We were excited to be sure, but most of us weren’t really sure what to expect, so we were most impressed by the generous hospitality and how much fun we had on our whirlwind jaunt around the city.

We met many friendly, proud people involved in the production of Columbus’ fine salumi. They hold themselves to exacting, high standards and it was quite a treat to see it go from production to packaging and onto the grocery store shelves.

We feasted on delicious, robust Sopressata made with fennel and red wine (this makes a fantastic sandwich!), small Cacciatore, or “hunter” salami because it is the perfect size for carrying into the woods or fields for lunch, and the wonderful and ever popular Italian Dry salami, perfect for slicing and snacking. There were so many different types to taste, including some great specialty ones like Cajun, or Herbed, or the perfectly balanced Peppered Salami. They brought out several that were relatively new, which we had never tried before (like the Habanero for instance, which was actually very good and not as hot as you might guess).

I should point out that the art of salumi making (“salumi” simply means cured meats in Italian) is becoming more and more popular in America. And those of us who, over the years, have gotten to know all of the tasty bits and parts of a pig really appreciate fine salumi making when we see it. Many common American salami makers use low-quality ingredients and speed up or cheapen the process by heating, over salting, adding cheap beef/pork blends, and over spicing to hide their products’ inferiority, resulting in non-appealing flavors and textures. Unfortunately, for many Americans, this is what they have come to expect from salami. However, fine salumi has complex, deep flavors, heady aromas, and a satisfying, clean finish, much like fine wines. In fact, one of the salumiere at Columbus, who also happens to be a vintner, said that making great wine is far easier than making great salami!

Columbus uses only high-grade pork for their salami, seasons them according to Old World recipes, and then ages them naturally, mimicking the ancient ways of Tuscany.

They taught us about the “Fiore” or white bloom on salami, which is a naturally occurring beneficial mold, much like what you might find on brie, enhancing the flavor and protecting it from excessive drying. They also taught us how to handle salami, showing us that small salamis are meant to be cut “about the thickness of a nickel” and usually with the bloom and natural casing intact, whereas larger salamis are meant to be peeled and sliced very thin. They were also very adamant about letting salami come to room temperature after slicing and before eating for the maximum flavor and correct texture, just as you would when serving an excellent cheese.

Not only were we treated to tours of the factories, but we also dined in style at Alioto’s on the wharf. I had crab cakes and escargot, and it was jump-from-the-table and burst-into-song outstanding! The best Caesar salad I have ever had without a doubt, with anchovies and egg yolk, yes!!! And I almost didn’t order it! If you get the chance, go! The Ferry Piers are famous for all of the fine food stalls, farmers’ markets, and great cafes and coffee shops – we ate and drank ourselves silly. For example, I bought a soft salami there called ‘nduja’ which was like a spicy, spreadable pate. Need I say that it was unbelievably, decadently good?

I can’t say enough about how grateful and honored I am to have been invited on this foodie dream adventure! Every conversation was either about food or quickly turned to it. Every minute built up to our next fantastic meal, each one better than the last! I was giddy as a kid riding the trolleys down to the famous Ferry Piers, Fishermen’s Wharf and Chinatown, searching out the next food find. If only I could do it every day!

One of my greatest and finest food epiphanies is from when I was a child, sitting in Golden Gate Park (I was born in San Jose) with my Croatian uncle and his family eating fresh sourdough bread, pate and brie and being absolutely blown away by what was in front of me. I will never forget how powerful that experience was and how much it has shaped me and my life. That’s the way to live my friends, with laughter, wine and salumi! Salud!