The Sausage Kings of Richmond
January 11, 2013
Muhammad Ali. Serena Williams. John Daly.
As you likely know, one or more (though not all) of these individuals reigned as an undisputed champion.
Similarly, when it comes to the sausage making game, one dominant player now rules our town.
Its name? Sausage Craft.
Sausage Craft brings you the finest locally produced, artisan sausage, whether served at a restaurant or cooked to juicy perfection in your home.
The business began – like so many do – with a joke gone awry.
Co-owners Brad Hemp and Chris Mattera were working together at a butcher shop, when Hemp jested about started a business where they would exclusively make sausage.
Mattera actually found the idea quite reasonable, and thus, Sausage Craft was born.
Fortunately, coupling Hemp’s background in fine wine and cheese sales with Mattera’s knack for producing outstanding sausage has allowed them to do a real bang-up job.
Crucial to their success, Hemp emphasizes, is using “high-quality meat, raised the right way, high-quality spices, fresh herbs … Everything that goes into it is top tier.”
That superior quality explains why their goods grace plates at many fine local establishments like The Roosevelt and The Jefferson Hotel.
And, while it’s not unusual to spot Sausage Craft standards like chorizo and hot Italian around town, Hemp also points out, “We make sausages that no one else in the world makes.”
That category includes the Saturday Nite Sausage, made with Hardywood Park beer and Sriracha sauce, and designed specifically to soak up alcohol late on Saturday nights.
Please excuse us while we go get some.
Sausage Craft products are available at Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market and several other retailers, in addition to a variety of Richmond restaurants. Click here for a complete list of purveyors.
Check out our Facebook page for behind the scenes photos and an interview with Owner and Sausage Guy Chris Mattera.
