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DECLARE HAM INDEPENDENCE! June 28 - July 4, 2012

Check out www.hamindependence.com for full details.

May 5, 2012: Acorn Tamworth Alert!

Just as the first round of Acorn Tamworth meats (guanciale, pancetta, coppa, lonza and lardo) are now available to fine restaurants on both coasts through Chef's Warehouse, we got news from farmer Russ Kremer that this year's group of pigs is now on the ground.  Plus we got this great photograph of how these pigs live.  This meat is tender and delicately flavored,  and the fat melts with no coating in your mouth.  Hope you get to try some!

April 17, 2012: Great day for People and Hams

It was a totally glorious day in Iowa today.  Perfect temps--49 to 72; air scrubbed clean by the rains; blue skies; leaves forming on the big trees now; grass green green green; the lilacs still blooming and casting their enchanting aroma.  And the kicker--bugs aren't out yet.  Opened up the plant to the fresh air and sat on the porch with a friend after work.  A great day.

April 4, 2012: Perilla, NYC La Quercia Dinner--April 24

Here are the details of the La Quercia dinner at Perilla--looks awesome:

	Perilla and La Quercia Dinner TuesdayApril 24, 2012   Four Course Tasting Menu $70 per person Join us and one of the country’s top artisanal cured meat producers, La Quercia, for a special tasting menu and conversation on Tuesday, April 24. Perilla is proud to serve cured meats from the venerable La Quercia and pleased to announce that Herb Eckhouse, the owner and founder will be joining us from his farm in Iowa for a special dinner showcasing the breadth of his products. Chef Harold Dieterle has put together a special four-course menu ($70 per person), found below, and Herb will be on hand to discuss the artisanal meats being served. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling us at 212-929-6868. We hope you can join us for what’s sure to be an incredible evening.        Four Course Tasting Menu Selection of La Quercia Prosciutto Berkshire, Tamworth & Acorn Edition Organic - Skillet Braised Cuttlefish & Guanciale xo sauce, fresh water chestnuts & garlic bread - Speck Wrapped Local Rabbit morels, pea tendrils, sweet pea sauce & natural jus - Iowa White Lardo & Rhubarb Financier caramelized banana & peanut butter-bacon ice cream
Perilla  9 Jones St. New York, NY 10014 P: (212) 929-6868 http://www.perillanyc.com

March 31, 2012: La Quercia Dinner at The Kitchen Denver April 2, 2012

Hugo Matheson was one of our first customers at the Kitchen in Boulder.  We've eaten there several times and love it.  Hugo achieves that delicate balance with his cuisine--simple, ingredient focussed, hospitable, and still very fine.  He is honoring La Quercia with a dinner at his new venue, The Kitchen Denver.  This will be a great opportunity to experience the American Terroir of Heritage Breed pork with La Quercia Varietals.  They'll be offering our Tamworth Prociutto and our Berkshire Prosciutto side by side, and then Tamworth Country Cured Bacon and Berkshire Lonza.  The prosciutto will give you a chance to experience the differences in their purity, and then the spiced and smoked versions will allow you to verify their distinctive qualities.  Hope you can make it!

March 14, 2012: Perilla, NYC La Quercia Dinner--April 24

Harold Dieterle is the chef at Perilla (and yes, he did win the first season of Top Chef), a Greenwich Village favorite.  Here's the New Yorker's take on it.  Harold is spotlighting the "terroir" of Heritage Breed Pork in a dinner that will feature La Quercia Cured Meat Varietals.  Details to follow, but the appetizer will be a tasting of three varietals of La Quercia prosciutto, and Herb will be there to answer questions.  Stay tuned!