What It's Like: Learning Charcuterie Techniques in Italy

I spent many summers as a child living with my grandparents in Le Marche, Italy, about 100 miles east of Rome along the Adriatic. I’d visit their friend’s farms in the outskirts of neighboring cities like Ascoli Piceno and San Benedetto del Tronto. There they'd make bread, cheese, wine and salumi. I got to help and watch it all become what it was.

I would return to the States and feel...