madbaker | More answery thingies.

How did you get into Charcuterie?
Quite a few years ago I took a sausage-making class at Collegium. It was lots of fun. I asked about the teacher's documentation, and she didn't have any. So I started doing my own research.
That led to me finding a recipe for "Sausage of Bologna" and I thought it would be funny to make baloney sandwiches. Where all the ingredients were documented and made by me onsite. Only in the past few years have I moved beyond sausages into other charcuterie products. I don't know why I waited so long!

What is your absolute favorite preparation?
Charcuterie-wise? Bacon! But duck proscuitto is damn fine, and so is pancetta, and I have high hopes for the duck salame, and...
Other things? Hm. I'm pretty pleased with the cocoa nib/mint ice cream, but I'm sure I'll think of five other things I like better in the next 24 hours.

How did you and Donata meet?
Brocc's South Bay dance practice. We flirted, and driving home afterwards she pulled into a 7-11, and I decided to pull in to flirt some more. That was in '91.

What would your dream feast look like?
The Perfectly Period Feast came as close as anything I've been involved in.

Where did you grow up? Any fond memories you'd like to share?
Bay Area native all the way! I was born in San Jose and we moved to Mountain View when I was five. I grew up in a 100-year-old former farmhouse that my parents, despite divorcing when I was 8, agreed not to sell until I graduated from high school. That was kind of them.