Nose to Tail Butchery

with Dario Cecchini

dariocecchini.com/dariocecchini/en/ 

"A convivium, the act of living together, is necessary to appreciate food in joy and friendship. This is my life and work philosophy." — Dario Cecchini

It was an honor to be asked to host Dante-quoting Dario Cecchini in San Jose. Dario is the leading contemporary internationally known Italian butcher from Panzano in the Chianti region of Italy. In his butchery demo, Dario broke down half a pig while discussing his passions and philosophies. He also shared recipe tips while we tasted sumptuous preserved pork dishes and sipped Prosecco, thanks to our co-sponsor New Seasons Market, Evergreen. It was a fantastic day and extremely inspiring to the chefs and home cooks in attendance.

"My name is Dario Cecchini. I’ve been a butcher for eight generations, father to son. I try to maintain the high values of my work and my family’s traditions. I always say that a man is like a tree: he must have his feet, his roots, planted firmly in the earth,traditions; and his head, the crown of the tree, must be in the sky, in the contemporary world. Having respect of the animal, of it’s life, of it’s death, and using everything to the very last tendon with conscience is what I have been doing every day for the past 40 years. This is me: my name is Dario Cecchini and I’m a butcher from head to tail. My beef and my pork aren’t of any specific breed and they are raised in Catalonia, Spain, by people that I have known for over 20 years and that I trust deeply. Sometimes the beef might be of the Chianina breed and it comes from the Manetti family in the splendid Fontodi farm in Panzano in Chianti."

Farm to Feast

with Joel Salatin 

Joel Salatin, American farmer, lecturer, and author, and owner of Polyface Farm joined us for a day to share his wisdom with farmers and entrepreneurs that are focused on sustainable farming. In th

Joel’s talk, “Think Outside the (CSA) Box,” was directed to farmers and “professional food folks” on thinking outside of the box to find ways to get their products in creative and convenient ways to us, the people who are hungry for healthy and delicious choices.

In the evening Joel spoke about our lost romance with dinner. Cooking dinner, he challenged, has been replaced with product-purchased, package-opened, reheated meals. Joel’s question was “what is our excuse for not feeding ourselves and our families a healthy, delicious dinner?” He also discussed the connection with family and friends that can only be found around the dinner table. His message ties into Community Cuisine's core beliefs to be sure.

The event featured a fantastic array of food vendors. Local farmers and artisans offered grass-fed meat deliveries, vegetable CSAs, baked goods and more. These are the folks that can rekindle our romance with dinner. Community Alliance with Family Farmers told me that there are over 1,000 farmers in Santa Clara County alone. That is 1,000 reasons to buy produce that has a sticker that says “California” and not “Florida” on it.