Schedule

Subject to tweaks

Oct 31,
Bayshore Resort, Traverse City, MI
4-6pm Registration
6-8pm Cocktail and Appetizer Reception
3rd floor Meeting room
Appetizers by Grandview Catering, Traverse City, MI

Monday Nov 1st
6:15am
Celtiic Buses at Great lakes Culinary Institute and Bayshore Resort
to bring you to Michigan Mangalitsa, Marion, MI by 7am
How to slaughter and how to care for organ meats during the slaughter process.
Lead by Christoph and Isabella Weisner, Austria
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Provided at Farm by
Blue Heron Restaurant Cadillac, MI and
The Cooks House & Wellington Street Market, Traverse City, MI
Celtic Buses will be leaving the Farm around 6pm in the evening.
and returning to Bayshore Resort and The Great Lakes Culinary Institute

Tuesday Nov. 2nd
8:30 am - 5pm at the Hagerty Center
How to make Sausages and what to do with the organs.
Christoph and Isabella Weisner, Austria leading
Dinner starting at 7pm -
Trattoria Stella, Traverse City, MI
Busing from Hagerty Center and Bayshore Resort to Trattoria Stella loading time 6:30pm then back to Hagerty Center and Bayshore Resort Provided by Celtic Bus loading time approx 9pm.

Wednesday Nov 3rd
8:30am - 5pm at the Hagerty Center
How to break and seam butcher a Michigan Mangalitsa pig.
Lead by Christoph Weinser, Austria
Dry Curing Demonstration given by Brian Polcyn
How to make Dry Cure Hams and Sausages

Wednesday Evening
Final Dinner
Starting at 7pm in Lobdell's
Inside the Great Lake Culinary Institute
Lead by Chef Brian Polcyn, Epicure Catering,
Pastry Chef Jehn of Mission Table and
the Great Lake Institute International Culinary Class Taught by
Chef Coburn MacNaughton

Getting some press

Can this curly-haired pig fatten up our economy?

"Luckily for it, the Mangalitsa isn't just another pretty face.

If it were, this heritage breed of Hungarian pig probably wouldn't exist today. And it surely wouldn't be living the good life in Michigan, courtesy of Traverse City businessman Marc Santucci.

Besides a wiry, woolly coat that makes it look like a sheep, what sets the Mangalitsa (mahn-gah-LEET-suh) apart is its thick layer of flavorful fat."

Press Release

Celebrate the Harvest with a “Nose-to-Tail” Eating Event at Lobdell’s Restaurant Overlooking Beautiful Grand Traverse Bay

The most memorable meals start with the best ingredients, sourced as freshly and close to home as possible. Here in Michigan, we’re blessed to have a diversity of homegrown food that’s hard to beat anywhere! And the Traverse City area is home to some of the most talented small farms in the state, as well as a magnet for the professional culinary arts community nationwide.

Two locally owned and operated businesses are hosting a meal to celebrate this bounty, and everyone is invited to attend. On Wednesday, November 3^rd, at Lobdell’s Restaurant on the campus of The Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Cherry Capital Foods of Traverse City, and Michigan Mangalitsa of Marion welcome you to join them at a very special dinner prepared by some of the best chefs in the state.

This dinner is the finale of a professional butchery and specialty food preparation course being held at the Hagerty Center earlier in the week, featuring an extremely rare breed of Hungarian heritage pig called the Mangalitsa. Though less well known that it’s Spanish cousin the Iberian Black hog, Mangalitsas have a similar ability to put on fat … and anyone who enjoys eating pork, and the various things made from it, like bacon, salami, or prosciutto, knows how good this meat can be.

With the meal prepared by charcuterie expert Chef Brian Polcyn of Forest Grill in Birmingham, and Cinco Lagos in Milford, and assisted by the chefs from Omena’s Epicure Catering and a brigade of the culinary school’s students, the menu will be a celebration of “nose-to-tail” eating, something world-famous English chef Fergus Henderson has described as, “common sense and even polite to the animal to use all of it. Rather than being testosterone-fuelled blood-lust, it actually seems to be a gentle approach to meat eating.” Take a look at the menu for this five-course dinning experience, which will also feature a selection of the best northern Michigan wines:

• Assorted Salumi & Charcuterie with Celeriac Salad
• Crispy Stuffed Trotters, Sweetbreads, Chanterelles, Sauce Gribiche, Pig Ears
• Seared Sea Scallops on Fall Beans, Soubise, Lardo Spuma
• Slow Roasted Loin of Mangalitsa, Braised & Glazed Belly, Potato Apple Terrine, Butter Braised Cabbage, Natural Jus
• Chestnut & Hazelnut Marjolane

Details on attending this special event can be discovered by calling Cherry Capital Foods at: (231) 943-5010.

"Lard Story" - New Post on the Earthy Delights Blog

High quality lard is surprisingly easy to make. Of course, you have to start with a high quality raw material. And nothing can beat Mangalitsa fat when it comes to quality.

Recently, I was lucky enough to get my hands on 10 lb of Mangalitsa leaf lard and decided to try my hand at transforming it into pure, creamy lard.

Read more... "Lard Story"

Restaurant success linked to #charcuterie prowess

Jon Smulewitz just might be the prince of Piedmont Avenue. He and his wife, Kayta, own two of the most popular spots on the Oakland strip: Dopo and Adesso. And the young couple - he's 34, she's 30 - are expecting their second child in late December.

"In a lot of ways, I'm living the dream," says Smulewitz, also Dopo's executive chef.

While Dopo celebrated its seven-year anniversary in September, these days Smulewitz might be known more for his salumi at Adesso. The aperitivo bar opened last year just down the street from Dopo and features not one, but two, happy hours - with free nibbles to boot.

Adesso is the culmination of Smulewitz's impressive charcuterie chops. He learned the art of curing meats at Oliveto starting in 1999 under former chef and co-owner Paul Bertolli.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/14/DDJR1FR61A.DTL&type=food#ixzz12RvHeIx4

Making Pure Mangalitsa Lard

Mangalitsa pigs are known for the high quality lard that they produce. It's surprisingly easy to make your own lard from Mangalitsa fat, especially "leaf lard," the rich fat deposits found around the internal organs.

Click here to view a slideshow showing the production of Mangalitsa lard, all the way from leaf lard to light, flavorful whipped "pig butter."

Updated Schedule of Events

Sunday, October 31st - Pre-event at Bayshore Resort

• Possible area tour in afternoon, depending on arrival schedules
• Check-in, packet pick-up: 4-6 pm
• Cocktail Social Hour 6-8 pm, featuring Hors d’oeuvres and local beers & wines

Monday, November 1st - Day 1 Bakers Green Acres, Marion Mich - Home of Michigan Mangalitsas

Transportation by Celtic Bus - Pickup at Bayshore Resort (Departs 5:30 AM)

• Farm Tour
• Feeder and breeder operations and protocols
• Slaughter of six pigs

Breakfast at farm: Locally produced fruit, bread & rolls, courtesy Mark & Jill Baker
Meals catering by The Cooks House :
Lunch: Cassoulet
Dinner: Pig Roast

Tuesday, November 2nd - Day 2 Great Lakes Culinary Institute & Hagerty Center (Starts @ 8:30 AM)

Offal, Fresh Sausages, Head Cheese

• Head & Leg Removal
• Cleaning, Preparation, and Cooking of All Internal Organs
• Brains
• Tongues
• Lungs
• Kidneys
• Livers
• Spleens
• Hearts
• Fresh Sausages
• Blood Sausage
• Tongue Sausage
• Two Kinds of Head Cheese

All of this becomes lunch!

Dinner at Trattoria Stella - Transportation by Celtic Bus

Wednesday, November 3 - Day 3 Great Lakes Culinary Institute & Hagerty Center (Starts @ 8:30 AM)

Seam Butchery, Wet & Dry Curing, Fermented Dried Sausages

• Lardo
• Dry Cured Ham - Brian Polcyn
• Wet Cured Belly
• Bacon
• Pancetta
• Wet Cured Ham
• Fermented Dried Sausages

Lunch: Christof and Isabel Wiesner & Tony Maiele

Final Guest Chef's Dinner - See Here

Rare pig breed resurrected for ham lovers

At one time, only 198 purebred pigs remained in the world. Farmers preferred other breeds. "The corpulent Mangalica grows very slowly and cannot be kept in closed quarters. It is therefore poorly suited to modern industrial pig farms, and it has been gradually replaced by modern breeds," according to the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity in Florence, Italy.

Read the full article here.

Mangalitsa Piglets Born September 30th, 2010

Marc Santucci and Willi Kohl recently imported 6 Blonde Mangalitsas which are now being raised at Bakers Green Acres in Marion, MI and on Bill Perkins' farm in Swartz Creek, MI.

The first generation of piglets was just born on Thursday September 30th at Bill's farm. Come on everybody, all together now: Awwwwww.....

http://janmarieevansphotoimaging.net/pig/index.html

Michigan Mangalitsa Hogs & Seam Butchery Demo