Babette’s Table in Waitsfield is a charcuterie company that produces high-quality, European-style dried meats, using 100% Vermont pork. Company owner and butcher Erika Lynch decided she was interested in changing professions and apprenticed with Dominique Chapolard, a master butcher in Gascony, France, to learn old-world techniques for curing meats. Erika was impressed by the dedication to local products and artisanal tradition that the Chapolard family celebrated. When Erika returned to the US, she worked with Jacob Finsen at Artisan Meats of Vermont, a fantastic mentor who helped her translate old-world approaches into USDA-inspected meat processing in the US.

After that, Erika and her family started Babette’s Table. They made small batches of products and sold everything at the Waitsfield Farmers Market. Initially, they focused on creating a wide range of products—including smoked ham hocks, bone broth, and headcheese. They quickly discovered that it made more sense to concentrate on salami and sausage to be more efficient with production. Since forming Babette’s Table, they have used local pork for all their products. In addition, they source our Vermont maple syrup from relatives at Buck Family Maple in Washington, Vermont.

Erika loves production work. She stuffs all the salami and sausage herself, and watching the curing process is particularly satisfying. Babette’s Table employs two talented employees who are very knowledgeable and work very hard at their jobs while making the work environment rewarding. They also enjoy working with local farmers. They utilize local meats and process meats for local farmers like Snug Valley Farm and von Trapp Farmstead so that they can sell sausage and bacon with their farm’s label.

Babette’s Table strives to build a collaborative and equitable workplace at its facility and contribute to Vermont’s vibrant artisanal agricultural scene. They have found that a collaborative approach to this kind of work is possible in Vermont, and they want to be part of the interlocking web of Vermont businesses that make Vermont products mutually beneficial, strong agricultural brands. The company’s dry-cured products are unique because they ferment and dry them at much lower temperatures than many other American charcuterie companies. A longer drying time builds flavor and produces a softer-textured salami with a lower acidity level. They feel the time it takes to achieve this flavor profile is worth it, because it mirrors the kinds of cured meats found in Europe. Babette’s Table salami is sold in bigger logs than other companies. Salami prices are higher than others primarily because they use Vermont pork and because salami logs weigh 5.6 ounces, like many European salamis, instead of the American industry standard of 4 ounces.

Surprised by how cooperative the Vermont agricultural community is, the company says folks who could be competitors have become friends and collaborators. Making these personal connections in a bigger, more competitive market might be challenging. They feel fortunate that Vermont is small, and the community works together, looks out for one another, and shares knowledge and resources. Babette’s Table continues to make and sell products to neighbors at local co-ops because they like being rooted in their community as much as possible. They also sell their products to high-end cheese shops elsewhere. They hope that folks look to Babette’s Table when they want to indulge in a slow food made with care, Vermont pork, and old-world techniques to achieve high-quality products.

The biggest challenge for Babette’s Table is the economy of scale. Their local pork is expensive, and being a small business is costly, too. It costs much more money to make things on a small scale than to mass-produce. The economy is geared toward big businesses, not small, slow-food-style businesses. Babette’s Table is excited to introduce a spicy pepperoni to their product line this summer, inspired by having a new smokehouse and responding to customer demand.

Enjoy Babette’s Table salami sliced and paired with a good cheese—they recommend von Trapp Farmstead’s Oma or Blue Ledge Farm’s Lake’s Edge. Add some decadent honey-sweetened jam for a real treat. Their Sausages can be cut up, added to pasta, or served on a bun. They like to whip up a remoulade and enjoy the Andouille with a roll or eat the Bratwurst or Kielbasa with whole-grain mustard and sauerkraut. The guanciale is rich and funky and works well as a base before cooking dry beans or toasting them. It can also be used as a topping for pasta or cooked greens.