Farm.Butcher.Table: A Mangalista Pig Journey and Event

By Carrie Becker in Food on Aug 25, 2010 4:00PM

Marbled, juicy, flavorful…delicious. The lard-type breed pig, the Mangalista, would give your everyday bacon a strong run for its money, if only it was a bit more accessible and a lot less expensive. Mark Schumacher and his friends thought exactly this when trying to purchase the pricey Mangalista meat online.

Photo Credit: John Laursen

In lieu of breaking the foodie bank, city-dwellers Schumacher and Jennifer Keller enlisted the help of two friends, former farmers farm-boys John Laursen and Jason Himmelberger to embark on a project to raise their own Mangalista pig on a family farm in Iowa.

“The meat became secondary to all the experiences we had,” remarked Schumacher. “We went to Iowa and learned how to raise the pigs and about the livelihood of the people who raise them. We don’t see this everyday. We don’t see where our food comes from.”

The journey proved fruitful, producing two three furry 250-pound beasts. One of these pigs will be butchered for friends and family to celebrate over the Labor Day weekend and the other will fall into the hands of The Bristol's Chris Pandel for a charity dinner benefiting Common Threads.

Learn more about the curious farmers, enjoy some succulent pig and support a great cause on Thursday, September 16th. Act quick tickets are almost sold out.

Where: The Bristol, 2152 N. Damen, Chicago, IL,60647
When: 7pm on Thursday, September 16
Menu: 5-Course Mangalista Pork Dinner developed by Bristol Executive Chef Chris Pandel
Beverages provided by Goose Island and Death’s Door Spirits
Cost: $105 with proceeds going to Common Threads
Contact the Bristol directly. Email inquiries to pwalters@thebristolchicago.com or call 773.862.5555.