ELIAS CAIRO is a co-owner and the lead salumist at Portland, Oregon's, Olympia Provisions, which he founded in 2009. Born in Salt Lake City to a Greek family who butchered lamb and goats utilizing Old World preparations and technique, Cairo started cooking at a young age in his father's restaurants. He began a European apprenticeship in Switzerland at the age of twenty, where he learned classic butchery and charcuterie from renowned chef Annegret Schlumpf before moving to Portland to open Olympia Provisions. MEREDITH ERICKSON has written for the New York Times, Elle, the National Post, Monocle, and Lucky Peach. She has also worked as an editor and production manager for various magazines, campaigns, and television programs, and was the editor of The Family Meal by Ferran Adria. She is co-author with David McMillan and Frederic Morin of the James Beard-nominated book The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, as well as Le Pigeon with Gabriel Rucker. She lives in London.
Being French, I know how important well-done charcuterie is to everyday life. Olympia Provisions is a wonderful journey through the simple yet complex recipes that have made it a craft throughout time. Visually stunning and conversationally informative with personal stories, notes, and tips, it is a tribute to charcuterie's versatility and cultural prowess, and the restaurant recipes only make me hungry for more. -Daniel Boulud, chef/owner, The Dinex Group Portland's Olympia Provisions has been making some of America's best charcuterie for years. Elias Cairo is the man behind it, and he has written a book that explains not only how he has been creating this food, but the whys that make it so good. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to explore the craft of charcuterie, with fabulous recipes and gorgeous photography. -Michael Ruhlman, James Beard award-winning author of Ruhlman's Twenty and Charcuterie Olympia Provisions is so much more than a charcuterie, just as its cookbook is so much more than simply a collection of recipes. It's a love letter to the craft of curing, smoking, and fermenting; a passionate family story, rich in history, technique, humor, and lots of good food. Elias Cairo's utter adoration for cured meat is not only inspiring, it's infectious! -Gail Simmons, food expert, TV host, and author of Talking with My Mouth Full