Contributors

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What happens when two men, both from Nova Scotia, venture out from their little towns and start trying foods other then fish and potatoes? Amazing things happen. The two founders of the Hanging Pig have a love for all foods, but a special place for the king of meats. From modest beginnings, these two superstar taste testers banded together to ensure that people eat good food and not the over-processed crap you get from the corner supermarket. Okay, we eat frozen perogies sometimes, but it’s an exception to the rule, rather than the rule.

Paul Rovers

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Paul had, what some might say, an overly enthusiastic (possibly unhealthy) love for pigs from a young age. He loved to read them stories, play them songs on his handmade harmonica, and draw portraits of his little friends. Dreams filled Paul’s mind of one day owning a pig farm and watching his little friends frolic in the meadows.

As a toddler, Paul found himself with a copy of Charlotte’s Web and upon finishing the book, decided that the pig was the noblest of all creatures. He would live out his dream of raising loved swine and offering them to the world.  Shortly afterward, however, he would unwittingly join an elementary school-sponsored field trip to the local slaughterhouse.

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Paul’s dream of becoming a Purveyor of Fine Pork Products was thereby shattered.  As he and the other children stumbled back to the bus, he was somewhat consoled by a generous selection of cured meats provided by the management of Tony’s Meats. Nevertheless, the lasting psychological damage had been done.  Depressed, he went to university and got a liberal arts degree.

Many years later, Paul came across a wonderfully crafted BLT sandwich in the Halifax airport and his love for the Pig was rekindled. Like an accidental meeting of that high school sweetheart, Paul’s heart fluttered and he recommitted himself to exploring the world of fine food products (with a particular discipline in Pork Studies) and to promote the King of Beasts to the world as a whole. Considered the “Mother Theresa of Pancetta” in many circles, he now spends much of his time in the kitchen and at farmers markets preaching the tasty story of the pig and its various uses.

Christopher Flett

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Chris was the type of kid that always wanted to be older than he was. After a disagreement with his parents at Age 4, he decided to leave the protection of their home and travel the world. On a brief stint as a tobacco picker in Cuba, he has his first taste of slow roasted pork shoulder on a fresh tortilla. From that point on, he ate pork almost exclusively. In and out of juvenile detention centers across South America in his pre-teens, he learned from fellow inmates how the ‘low and slow’ process of cooking the least expensive cuts of pork could produce amazing results.

Shortly after his 11th birthday, he signed on to be a longshoreman for an oil company. Trips to the Philippines, Bali, and Puerto Rico, offered him the chance to spend time with many different types of pigs. Like the Jane Goodall of Pork, he was slowly accepted into their groups and lived among them, studying their interactions with one another. Named, “Panchelloto” (meaning: pig brother without a tail) by the pig elders, he began to learn their ways and was eventually given the “Sacred Tusk” designation, a rare and honorable award for a non-pig to receive.

Returning to civilization, Chris brought his knowledge of pig society along with a deep desire to roast, braise, and smoke this admirable beast back to North America. A self-confessed ‘pork foodie’, he is a sucker for anything ‘pork belly’.

About the Author

Chris Flett, co-founder of the Hanging Pig is author of "What Men Don't Tell Women About Business" (Wiley) and the founder of the Ghost CEO (www.GhostCEO.com).