ARTISANAL EATS Eleanor Friedman and Gianpiero Pepe, proprietors of the Main Street “salumeria,” offer a variety of prepared meats, savories and condiments, pasta, beer and wine, and other specialty products in their shop, all with an Italian flare. Manor Ink photo
Tastes of Tuscany now available in Sullivan
La Salumina offers shopmade meat specialties
By Manor Ink Staff
Hurleyville, NY – Culinary choices just got a bit meatier in Sullivan County with the opening of La Salumina in Hurleyville. Owned and operated by Eleanor Friedman and her husband, Gianpiero Pepe, the store offers salumi and salami, fresh meats, cheeses, pasta, sauces and pantry items.
Eleanor and Gianpiero met in Siena, Italy, where Eleanor was apprenticing as a butcher and salami maker, and Gianpiero was running a local restaurant. Following their marriage, they decided to move to New York City to be closer to Eleanor’s family, thinking they might also open an Italian delicatessen, or “salumeria.”
LOCALLY SOURCED To Hurleyville via Tuscany, La Salumina is an Italian delicatessen recently opened on Main Street in the Sullivan County hamlet. Among the many homemade products offered in the shop is fresh Salsiccia. lasaluminany.com photo
They planned to stock the shop with meat products created by using techniques they had learned in Italy, while pork would be sourced from pasture-raised pigs supplied by local farms. A friend told them about an available shop in Hurleyville, and the couple was intrigued by the area and its possibilities.
“We found the courage to take the leap to leave New York City,” said Friedman with a laugh. She said they are pleased with their progress to date, especially having opened up during the pandemic while navigating the arduous process of getting USDA approval to make their own cured meats. Those products will be their main business.
La Salumina’s offerings are sure to impress those experienced in Italian cuisine as well as those who are curious about Mediterranean fare. The shop’s sundries currently include Soppressata Senese, a Tuscan-style headcheese made with lemon and garlic; a fennel-garlic-and-wine sausage called Salsiccia; Rillettes, a spreadable pork confit; and Pâté Rustico. Other products like Finocchietta and Mortadella Senese, varieties of salami, are planned.
La Salumina is located 210 Main Street in Hurleyville. The shop is open from Thursday through Sunday. Local online orders can be picked up at Upstream Wine & Liquors on Main Street in Livingston Manor on Saturday afternoons. For more information, visit lasaluminany.com.