Grapes into wine, milk into cheese, meat into charcuterie; techniques for making perishable food last longer have evolved into rich culinary traditions that produce some of the world’s most delicious foods.

Join award-winning Chef Dave Mottershall for an in-depth and hands-on introduction to the art and science of charcuterie: preserving fresh meat through curing, salting, smoking and drying.

This class will focus on whole-muscle curing, covering classic cured pancetta, pork spalla and duck breast bresoala. A charcuterie board with preserves and crostinis will be served to illustrate and taste different kinds of products and processes.

Participants will create their own spice blends for curing duck breast in class; instructions for finishing these bresaola at home will be provided.There will also be demonstrations of preparing, curing and smoking pork belly for pancetta, and pork shoulder for spalla.

There will also be discussion and demonstrations of how to smoke meat, setting up a curing room, wet cures vs dry cures for bacon and how to continue curing meat safely and confidently. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, and handouts covering the processes covered in class will be handed out.

$40 +HST

Chef Dave Mottershall is most notably known for his 7-­‐year stint on Prince Edward Island, opening Terre Rouge, a restaurant featuring locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. He was named PEI Chef of the Year in 2012 and winner of the 2013 Taste Our Island Award for his dedication to supporting the local food movement. He returned to Toronto six months ago and found a home in Riverside, a neighbourhood where he sees great potential for the best food in the city.

Dave’s passion for cooking is evident in his Instagram account where he is affectionately known as Chef_Rouge.