Meet John Baldasarre (sounds like “balls are hairy,” or “bald and scary”.) This picture of him would lead you to believe he is a cold blooded killer, who turns his victims into sasauge. That sentiment is partially true. John is Ten-01’s charcuterie master. He makes killer sausage. He’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He once took me blindfolded and ball-gagged to the secret salami room, where all of his work hangs to dry out and age. He’s even got some full on legs of prosciutto hanging up there. All of this meat eventually is sliced and served on the house charcuterie plate. It’s one of the best in the city, if not the best. Chef, in an interview with Food Arts, named John and his sausage stuffer as his favorite piece of equipment. Working with John is always proves interesting, like the time he almost took off his thumb with the slicer, or the time he made pudding from cocoa and pigs blood. He also has the ability to get the most annoying song possible stuck in your head for the entire day (chang chang chang goes the trolley.) His stories of his commute home on the Number Twelve are always welcome, as are the random late-nite text messages (barko beep fuck.) So here’s a mrjeffmccarthy.com salute to John: I LOVE HIS SAUSAGE!!
