1867 - Oyama Sausage Co. [Ep 62]

Many a romp through France got me very dearly attached to saucisson sec. The count of Albertan charcutiers in business back then, and still, added up to a disheartening zero. There was, however, hope. Every visit to the west coast meant pilgrimage to Oyama’s stall at the Granville Island Market to get a fix. I’ve adored their rillettes, confits, terrines, sausages, dry cured meats, you name it. And this whole damn time I wondered how they got it all so right. Then I met John.

It was really, really hard not to make a reference in this post to Yoda or Mecca somewhere, and will likely be scorned for capitalizing both those words in the same sentence. John’s at the top of his game, and goes right to the top of the list of coolest people I’ve ever met in the world of food. Folks think they know their shit. They don’t. John does. A mini-series of videos wouldn’t be sufficient. It was a humbling visit.