Finocchionna

VDG Salumi, a Calgary-based charcuterie company, offers a delicious variety of homemade Italian-style salumi.

Discover an assortment of items including classic salumi to sliced package combinations.

VDG Salumi

Chef Stuart Kirton and Ivo Andric started VDG (Volto di Guanciale, which sort of translates from Italian to English as “pillow cheeks”) in Calgary in 2016. At the time, Kirton was the chef at The Living Room and was experimenting with recipes he’d learned at culinary school in Italy.

He and his friend Andric, who was bartending at The Living Room at the time, realized the makings for a good culinary business were in hand, and before long, they had found a loyal following for their fresh, homemade Italian-style salumi.

Flavours are myriad — lemon-oregano; garlic and maple — but one of the bestsellers is Finocchionna (fennel.) Fennel salumi is a classic offering on Italian charcuterie platters, but the VDG version is better than most of the ones I’ve tried in Europe.

Finocchionna Salami by VDG Salumi | Springbank Cheese Co. | $11.99