Herb Eckhouse from Norwalk, IA, will be on hand for the Camp Bacon Main Event. Herb and his wife Kathy are the hard working curers who started La Quercia and they make artisan cured meats or salumi–prosciutto, coppa, speck, pancetta, guanciale, and lardo. In their words, we seek “out the best possible ingredients, produced responsibly, we craft them by hand into something that expresses our appreciation for the beauty and bounty of Iowa.”
Zingerman’s Delicatessen signed on for the first subscription of their Acorn Edition (La Quercia is “Oak” in Italian) meats and we (and our guests) have been loving it ever since. Come to Camp Bacon and hear Herb tell the story of their apprenticeship in Parma, their move to build a Prosciuttificio in rural Iowa, about their work sourcing the most flavorful and sustainably raised pigs they can find and, of course, to taste their amazing cured pork.
The list of big-name love for their cured pork is LONG but here’s a sample:
“The best prosciutto imported or domestic you can get in America.” —Jeffrey Steingarten, VOGUE food critic and Iron Chef Judge
“…stunning stuff.” —Master palate and wine critic Robert Parker about our La Quercia Rossa.
“…a joy to taste.” —Mark Bittman of the New York Times.
“We love both their Green Label and their Rossa.” —Mario Batali in his book Molto Gusto