Off-The-Grid Amish Deli: Top Chef Matthew Secich Finds Cuisine Nirvana In Maine


Fancy a long drive through the snow for a handmade andouille? Charcuterie, a new deli tucked away in the pine forests of Unity is a converted cabin owned by Matthew Secich, the renowned chef from Charlie Trotter’s, The Oval Room in Washington D.C., and The Alpenhof Lodge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Though his LinkedIn profile still reads Cuisinier (Chef), he has moved his family and his kitchen off the grid, joining an Amish community.

Secich studied cuisine at Johnson and Wales University. He is known to have taken lessons from Julia Child herself to cook a velvety omelet at the Inn at Little Washington in Virginia.

Admitting his guilt, Secich said the following.

“I was horrible. I was at the pinnacle. I commanded 40 people in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and they jumped. I burned people.”

He added the following.

“I went home one night and got on my knees and asked for forgiveness. I gave my life to the Lord, which I never would have imagined in the heyday of my chaos.”

A sampling of cheeses [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
A sampling of cheeses [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
Secich and his family first joined the Mennonite community where they opened the Riverside Meat Market in Dexter, where Secich made his charcuterie with modern tools. They eventually moved to Maine. Secich he turned to the small and welcoming Amish community in Unity, after he realized that the Mennonite community wasn’t the right fit for him. In order to adhere to Amish beliefs about the use of modern technology, he closed the meat market and opened Charcuterie, where he uses a manually operated slicer and a gas smoker.

His main experience with the Amish had been as a child in Ohio, as reported in Portland Press Herald. His parents had divorced and, at 10, Secich began riding a Greyhound bus between them in Youngstown and Columbus. He’d sit with Amish people riding the bus, and felt they projected a sense of safety.

Charcuterie shop in Unity. [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
Charcuterie shop in Unity. [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
It’s a radical departure from the path Secich was on 25 years ago as a military man serving in the Persian Gulf. Or even 10 years ago, when he brought that military manner into the kitchen as a sous chef at the renowned Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

Secich told Bangor Daily News about his new lifestyle.

“This is far better. You can hear the clock tick. I truly believe God has his destiny for all things. From once upon a time being a four-star chef, to playing with meat in the backwoods, that was all God’s plan. I feel so blessed to be here.”

Matt Secich offers samples of the many varieties of smoked meats and cheeses to customers [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
Matt Secich offers samples of the many varieties of smoked meats and cheeses to customers [Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
Inside the store, ropes of smoked sausages and cheeses dangled enticingly above the counter, and a woodstove worked valiantly to heat up the January day. Secich showed off his smoker, an electric model that he converted to gas, and his prized hand-cranked meat grinder from 1926. With it, he grinds about 400 pounds of meat a week. Then he combines the meat with various spices and stuffs it into natural animal casings.

Mark Warren, who drove through the snow to buy the sausages, smoked hams and cheeses, said the following.

“It’s a little of everything, it’s handmade. You can’t get anything any better. Pretty amazing what he can do from scratch.”

Pat Pungitore, a part-time Sangerville resident, drove to Unity through the snowstorm Tuesday afternoon to pick up the duck prosciutto she had reserved, as well as a selection of other treats. She said that when she learned this summer that the Riverside Meat Market had closed, she was disappointed. But when Secich opened his new location, she made a trip before Christmas to buy a carload of cheeses for her family.

His kids ride on a horse to go to school, and his wife spends time looking after the household. He wouldn’t trade it for anything, not even for profit.

[Photo by David Leaming/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]

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