My name is Mike and I love pigs…
Ok, and I’m obviously not a real pauper. Poverty is no joke, and I am very grateful to be blessed with creature comforts. I am the pauper in the sense, that the pig has many more talents than I. The pig has so much to offer, and I humbly and gratefully accept it’s riches!
I grew up in a family where food and meals were a vital part of life. My mom is a great cook and in her dishes and the meals we shared every night as a family, I developed a love, appreciation and respect for good food.
Somewhere along the line, I learned how to cook for myself, and there were LOTS of failures (Ask my wife the story about my “sardine pesto”). I cooked to save money, and to eat better meals than I could afford to buy. I was still eating on the cheap, and hadn’t yet began to realize the obvious… when we eat, we are putting something into our bodies, and the quality of what we are consuming matters!
During college I started working in restaurants. I needed money, I got a free shift meal, and I enjoyed cooking. After college I lived alone in Canada for 6 months. I had 4 tv channels. 3 of them had cooking shows on 24/7. That was were I really began to learn about simple, good, wholesome cooking, and how it could be frugal and way better tasting. Thanks to shows like The Naked Chef, The Urban Peasant, South Asian Veggie Table and a few other minimalist type cooking show, I was hooked. I could eat healthy, cheap, nutritious, AND delicious.
I landed in Syracuse where my wife Kristin and I got married. I was working part time doing all sorts of different jobs. One of my gigs was working the line for lunches at Kitty Hoyne’s Irish Restaurant. I worked under a great chef, Damien Brownlow, and I learned basically everything I know about real cooking from him. He either taught it to me directly, or he taught me how to be fearless in my cooking & gave me the freedom to experiment in all different culinary areas & spread my cooking wings. It was a great experience, and my love for food continued to grow.
When my daughter started eating solid foods, I began to really think about what we were putting into our bodies. So our homesteading journey began. As we strived to grow as much of our own organic food as we possibly could, pigs poked into my life. After a solid decade plus of raising pigs, I’ve spent so much time learning and crafting old world, artisanal charcuterie techniques and skills, I feel it’s time I share my love of pork and cured meats with friends and family.
We’ve learned a lot about how smart pigs are, how hungry they can be, and how amazing it is that God created such an intricate, yet delicious animal for us to enjoy.
I believe delicious food is created by raising animals that are happy, well fed, and cared for. Delicious food has its roots in diligent animal husbandry, carefully planned diets, and respect for the life of the animal every step of the way. Delicious food, is above all, born out of the work and love that goes into making it.
Everything I make, is made with the passion, care, skill, and love a Prince deserves. I humbly serve you my fine Prince Pig!
Mike
The Pauper
Click HERE to find out how you can get your hands on some meat art!
The Pig And The Pauper 