Picture this: A young boy seated at a picnic table alongside his dad, making salami on a hand-cranked meat grinder. Seems like a fairy tale, right? But it’s the real deal, a flashback to perhaps the first glint of what would become The Salumeria.
Anthony Pedonesi likes to recount this story when speaking about the heritage of his and co-founder Garardo Garcia’s Austin charcuterie company. Upon meeting over a home remodeling project, Anthony learned of Garard’s own family roots in butchery. The two formed a quick friendship around their love of cured meats, which evolved into a working relationship and eventually, into a dream built on a foundation of tradition passed down through multiple generations.
When starting out, they first experimented with store-bought meats, but this soon proved to be frustrating, as Anthony and Garardo sought to secure their ideal cuts of meat for their vision. After meeting Rockdale rancher, Jim Richardson, they learned of regenerative agricultural farming techniques, of raising farm animals with a focus on welfare and nutrition. Hooked on these new ideas, they seized on an opportunity to begin raising their own pigs. This commitment paid off over time, and in April of 2020, they opened their own USDA-inspected curing facility.
Taking the reins of their own pork supply allowed these two salumi experimenters to become salumi masters. There’s a real reverence for their animals, though:
We are able to control the diets, allowing them to be hormone and antibiotic free. We can nurture their mental health as well as their physical health. We have state-of-the art deep straw bedded houses where our pigs are free to go in and out. They are allowed to forage on the salad bar that we have planted for them, as well as cool off in the wallow. On 200 acres of diverse land, there is no shortage of new experiences for these beautiful creatures.
Anthony and Garardo now make around 20 kinds of salumi in just as many varieties. And their output is stunning:cacciatore, soppressata, calabrese, pancetta, finocchiona … the list goes on.
We’re so privileged to be partnering with The Salumeria; we’re truly in awe of their devotion to their craft, their family tradition, and their delicious meats.
Join the tradition and add The Salumeria’sFinocchiona Salami orO.G. Italian Sausage Salami to your order today!
