SRF X Journeyman Meat Co.
Rich in History
Peter Seghesio was born into a family with a long history of wine and food traditions. His grandparents emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s and settled in Sonoma County. As lifelong farmers, Pete’s grandparents had an appreciation for the agriculture possibilities of the area’s abundant natural resources. The climate and agricultural community help to establish the family traditions of winemaking and crafting cured meats.
Starting when Peter was very young, his father Eugene taught him Italian traditions including the art of making sausage and other cured meats. This was a common practice within the large Italian population of the area and helped to build their community. Creating artisanal cured meats was a cause for celebration, but it was also a practical way to provide food for farmers and their families in the winter.
In 1987, Peter took charge of the family winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards. The winery’s history dated back 100 years and Pete made his mark by garnering national awareness for the wine produced from the Seghesio family’s historic vineyards.
Pete guided the business successfully for over two decades and the Seghesio family chose to pass the company on to new hands, opening an opportunity beyond winemaking for Pete and his wife Cathy.
Charting a New Direction
One year after the sale of Seghesio Vineyards, Pete and Cathy, along with Pete’s sister, aunt and uncle, started the plan for a unique new business. They envisioned crafting Italian-style meats with the same level of detail and expertise they used to make their award-winning wine.
Pete traveled to Italy and studied with world-famous butchers Dario Cecchini of Panzano and the Marini family of Florence to learn the Italian-style whole animal butchery. Knowledge is power, but in order to produce their high quality products, Journeyman created a custom salumificio or production facility. The Journeyman salumficio was designed and installed by Frigomeccanica, a multi-generational company that builds equipment for Italy’s finest facilities. Their technicians traveled from Parma, Italy to the United States to install their specialized equipment.
Journeyman Meat Company is the result of combining the Seghesio family heritage of curing meat and the old world know-how of Italian masters. Utilizing seasonal ingredients from outstanding local farms, Pete and the Journeyman team create the best artisanal cured meats available.
The Heavenly Pork
Dave Murphy, Snake River Farms Sales Manager, stopped into Journeyman Meat Company’s shop one day and talked to Pete about our Kurobuta pork. Journeyman began experimenting with it not long after. Pete recalls his introduction to SRF. “The first time my father ate it he claimed it was “heavenly”. It was the best pork chop he had ever had.”
According to Pete, “The higher marbling of the (Kurobuta) meat makes the salami a bit more tender and it makes it taste even sweeter than the salami we normally make. Our style of making salami is how I learned in Italy from the Marini Family and is very different than how salami is made in America. “
Pete explains the basic differences of using Kurobuta pork:
- We always cut the meat the day before and let it purge overnight, so we are dealing with meat that already has lost 3-5% of its water before we grind, mix and stuff.
- We use a minimal amount of sugar (food for the bacteria). We starve them, so we control the fermentation to be weaker and we ferment much colder. Most producers in the US use four times the amount of sugar and will ferment at 100°F, essentially cooking the meat. We ferment at 72°F and age at 56°F so our salami takes three times as long as industry. And when you ferment and age slow you end up with sweeter tasting salami compared to industry salami that is very tangy. We use Duroc for our brand, but the SRF pork makes salami that is even sweeter than what we make for ourselves.
A Special Marriage
Pete notes that artisanal cured meats are a natural pairing with cheese.
“Growing up in northern Alexander Valley (where our artisan facility is located) I was surrounded by fellow Italian families, the fathers and mothers would always say salami and cheese are a marriage,” says Pete, “Hence, we always had salami with cheese. Harder cheeses seemed to work best, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, Parmigiano or an Asiago were ones I remember. But in today’s world we pair with much more. I think the important thing is that the cheese must be more neutral to let the salami shine. Or I guess I’m saying doesn’t compete with the cheese.”
Serving a Delicious Combination - SRF x Journeyman
The collaboration of Snake River Farms and Journeyman Meat Company started out with just two different salami (or salame in Italian). The initial response from our customers was enthusiastic and we now stock five different salami with distinctive flavor profiles:
Sonoma Bianco – Hints of aromatic rosemary and sage sourced from Sonoma County and the rich, full bodied Chardonnay of the Russian River region.
Fattoria - Calabrian chilis combined with other zesty elements, tempered with the sweet and citrus notes of orange zest.
Aged Gouda & Porcini - Perfectly aged Gouda cheese combined with aromatic porcini for a rich and earthy flavor.
Finocchiona - Locally sourced fennel paired with Sonoma County white wine.
Soppressata – A spicy salami made with red wine, garlic, Italian chilis, and a hint of allspice.
Each salami chub is handcrafted with a weight between 5 to 7 ounces. All salami requires no refrigeration. We now ship all orders directly from Journeyman Meat Co. in Healdsburg, California using the U.S. Postal Service. Delivery times are approximately 2-5 days, but this can vary depending on logistical factors.
Can’t decide with delicious Kurobuta pork salami to try? We also offer a Salami Variety Pack with five different varieties. Or get the party started with the SRF Charcuterie and Cheese Box with two different salami flavors, a wedge of Sonoma County cheese, savory crackers and either rosemary spiced cashews or Sonoma toffee (our choice).
We’re pleased and excited to offer these delicious products from Journeyman Meat Company. Give them a try for a treat during the holidays or as an ideal starter anytime of year.
