I recently tried to place an order with Salumi. It had been a good 6-8 months since I last had any of their cured meats and I started to get some serious cravings for Salumi when contemplating a trip to Seattle.

I placed my order a couple of weeks ago only to find out that there was now a waiting list. To make matters worse, there was a wait to get on their waiting list. They asked that I email them again in a couple of weeks and with a little bit of luck I would secure my place in queue. So I tried again yesterday and quickly received an email confirmation indicating that they could ship to me in mid-September. Right now that seems like a year away, but of course I jumped at the opportunity.

I would give just about anything for Salumi, including my little pinky — and I am only half joking. Last year, I was enjoying my last shipment from Salumi and wanted to cut my salami paper thin. I don’t own a professional meat slicer, but I figured my Kyocera mandoline would do the trick. It did work like a charm, as long as I applied pressure when slicing.

At one point there was a slip of hand and I knew I had caught my finger. I wrapped it immediately as it was bleeding a lot and I wasn’t ready to see the damage. The bleeding didn’t actually come to a complete halt for a couple of days and to this day you can see where I lopped off the tip. It did grow back but now it  looks like a blister at the tip of my finger — and the feeling has never totally returned. A very small price to pay for paper think slices of salami from Salumi.

Salumi is the love child of Armandino Batali. Armandino is the father of Mario Batali. Being a fan of Babbo, I knew I needed to try Salumi immediately. Armandino learned his craft from Dario Cecchinni, the mad butcher and owner of the macelleria in Panzano, Italy. Armandino had retired from Boeing and decided it was about time he pursued his passion for food, specifically, cured meat. If you don’t know the story, read chapter 19 of Bill Buford’s Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany. Actually, I suggest reading the entire book, it is one of my favorites.

All of Salumi’s cured meats are amazing, but the Mole Salami is a must — spiced with chocolate, cinnamon, ancho and chipotle peppers. It is absolutely delicious and an experience that will not be forgotten.

I can’t wait to receive my order in September and I know that at some point I will need to make the trip to the Seattle storefront.

The video of Armandino and Mario Batali at Salumi is a great introduction to what might be the finest cured meats made in the United States. I admire Mario and Armandino and to say I covet their food is an understatement.