FLUSHING, N.Y. — The meatiest night in New York comes back to Queens next month when Charcuterie Masters returns for its second year. Professional and amateur makers of artisanal charcuterie will vie for the crown and top New York City chefs, including Will Horowitz, will create exquisite dishes featuring smoked heritage pork and cured meats at New York City’s premiere charcuterie event, which takes place February 25th from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at historic Flushing Town Hall.
Presented in conjunction with AgriForaging Food Safety, The Meat Market, and The Salt Cured Pig, Charcuterie Masters 2017 is the first ever competition of its kind. The competition brings together more than 20 professional and amateur makers of artisanal charcuterie from the U.S. and Canada, including Rodrigo Duarte, Caseiro E Bom (Newark, N.J.); John Harkness, Prime Meats (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Chad Nelan, Elevation Charcuterie & Artisan Meats(Denver); Stewart Taylor, Babelfish Bistro (Guelph, Ontario, Canada); and Giuseppe Viterale, Ornella Trattoria (Astoria, N.Y.).
Judges for Charcuterie Masters 2017 include Francois Vecchio, Master Charcutier, public speaker and author, Chef Cesare Casella, Dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Center; Chef Aurelien Dufour, Master Charcutier, Dufour Gourmet; Francine Segan, food historian and cookbook author andGregory Laketek, Salumiere, CEO, Founder, West Loop Salumi. Guests will have an opportunity to savor charcuterie, learn from the makers as well participate in a people’s choice vote of the ‘best-of-the-evening’ charcuterie. Pairings will include top-rated wines, craft beers, and farmstead ciders. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase charcuterie directly at the event.
In addition, on Sunday, February 26th, AgriForaging Food Safety & The Meat Market will present an Industry Food Safety & Compliance Conferencedesigned for interested, new and experienced charcutiers and industry affiliates at the International Culinary Center from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The conference workshops are 1) Introduction to Food Safety and HACCP, 2) Economics of Slaughter and Meat Processing, 3) Economics of Pig (Nose to Tail), and 4) Delving in to Salami Compliance. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased at the following link: http://www.nyepicureanevents.com/. “As Charcuterie Masters celebrates the art of meat preservation; keeping food safety as a primary topic of conversation is paramount to the success of this growing industry,”Nicole E. Day Gray of AgriForaging Food Safety, a founding partner of Charcuterie Masters and co-owner of N.Y. Epicurean Events.
A $60 general admission to Charcuterie Masters 2017 entitles guests to explore unlimited tasting and sampling of all food and beverages. Additionally, there will be $100 VIP tickets sold, which will allow access to a special hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. enabling VIP guests to enjoy early access to the entire festival as well as admission to the VIP tasting room, featuring a luxurious spread of cured meats, including chicken liver mousse and pâté en croute personally prepared by NYEE president, Chef David Noeth, as well as exclusive charcuterie selections from Queens’ very own Muncan Food and Chicago’s West Loop Salumiand a selection of fine cheeses curated by The Cheese and Dairy Society of New York State.
“Charcuterie Masters is an exciting multi-dimensional Festival featuring the “Master Charcuterie Champion” competition; sampling & learning from talented charcuterie producers and award-winning NYC chefs; enjoying delicious NYS cheese & craft beverage; showcasing an exciting array of passionate food entrepreneurs and so much more – it’s a must attend,” said Nicole E. Day Gray.
“As a Queens guy, I’m excited that Astoria’s very own Giuseppe Viterale will be competing,” said Joe Distefano, NYEE communications director. “And, I’m happy that another Astoria establishment, Muncan Food Corp. will return as part of the VIP Experience.”
“We love Charcuterie Masters, the building smells like bacon for weeks afterwards,” said Ellen Kodadek, executive and artistic director, Flushing Town Hall.
“Charcuterie’s in my blood. My grandmother owned a butcher shop in Germany and my uncles taught me how to cure and smoke meats,” said Chef David Noeth. “I’m particularly keen to see what Rodrigo Duarte makes for the competition, the guy’s a mad scientist of meat!” ADVANCE GENERAL ADMISSION AND VIP TICKETS can be bought at this EventBrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/charcuterie-masters-2017-tickets-28199570675.
About N.Y. Epicurean Events Inc.
New York Epicurean Events is a Catskill Mountains-based producer of premiere farm-to- table food and wine festivals and educational programs that pair the agricultural bounty—including grass-fed beef, organic produce, artisanal cheeses, smoked fish, and craft beverages—from the region’s lush mountain valleys and fresh water streams—with New York City’s most innovative chefs and culinary artisans. Our goals include creating jobs, driving economic development by assisting family farmers and local artisans, and fostering culinary and agricultural tourism in the Catskill-Delaware NYC Watershed while exposing everyone from chefs and other culinary professionals to foodies and gourmets to delicious, fresh, sustainable, and healthful foods.
About AgriForaging Food Safety
AgriForaging Food Safety was founded in 2011 with a mission to bridge the gap between agriculture and a better tomorrow. No small feat, but as a leading food safety, HACCP and compliance firm we are making a positive impact in the food, craft beverage and agricultural sectors. Aiding entrepreneurs in best practices, USDA/FDA compliance, animal husbandry, promoting local agriculture and local value-added food infrastructure in our communities while ‘bridging the gap’ between rural and urban food systems. As AgriForaging expands, our staff has too; we have a highly reputable team of food industry professionals & former USDA regulatory agents who are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs navigate the barriers of Federal & State food safety compliance regulations. AgriForaging is powered by a dire need for responsibility to our land and resources, and a passion to positively enhance our food system.
About Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts @ Flushing Town Hall
The mission of Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (FCCA) is to present multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens, New York and New York City, New York, in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve as stewards of Flushing Town Hall, restoring, managing and programming the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FCCA celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world, and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
—AgriForaging Food Safety
For more articles out of New York, click here.