Business & Tech

On Hiatus From Jedediah Hawkins, Luce Plans to Cure Meats at Love Lane Market

Local chef launches Kickstarter Internet campaign for support for his plan for the first cured meat facility on the North Fork.

Chef Keith Luce, who says he’s not been cooking at Jedediah Hawkins in Jamesport since the end of October, has a new project of his plate — he launched a Kickstarter.com campaign on Sunday, asking for support for his plan to turn the Love Lane Market in Mattituck into the first facility for locally raised cured meats in the region.

Love Lane Market has been closed since last November, after Hurricane Sandy caused serious damage to custom-built refrigeration compressors. Owner Mike Avella could not be immediately reached for comment, but he told Patch in December that he planned to reopen as soon as possible. Luce said that an agreement between him and Avella is not yet finalized and the future use of Love Lane Market is not quite clear.

Luce said he’s been raising animals on his North Fork farm for the purpose of creating salami-style products for the local market. Luce, who has built himself to a bit of celebrity status over the years, working with chef Walter Schieb at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and serving as sous chef to President Clinton, said that he has been working as a consultant to restaurants in New York City since leaving Jedediah Hawkins. He said that he is uncertain of his future with Jedediah but that this period of transition was the perfect time to focus on his dream of producing local cured meats.

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“It will add another thread to the fabric of a burgeoning food scene and help round out the locavore revolution that has begun,” Luce writes on Kickstarter. “Jobs will be created that teach sustainable skills to future stewards of the earth and the region. Most importantly in my view, this project will help preserve open space and prove that a path can be forged toward a better way of life through a sustainable community of like-minded citizens and artisans.”

Click here to see Luce’s Kickstarter campaign page.

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Think a cured meat facility is a good idea for Love Lane? Let us know what you think in the comments.


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