Coming Soon: Salumeria Opening in the Mission

The outdoor patio to be shared by Salumeria and Central Kitchen

By Meesha Halm

Now that McNaughton and company have finally opened their much-delayed Central Kitchen, it's time to turn our attention to the second half of their ambitious Mission project: Salumeria. To bring everyone up to date, Salumeria will be an Old World-style take-out deli hawking spit-roasted meat, antipasti and fresh pastas (the very coveted pasta made and served at Flour + Water), all sold by the pound, as well as custom sandwiches that will likely rival the city's best. In addition, they'll be curing their own meats, making their own fresh curds and whey and heading up an ambitious cheese program, which will be run by in-house cheese monger Sophie Mosgrove, as well as morning pastries. They'll also be employing a full-time barista who'll be pulling coffee drinks, beer and wine. Folks will also able to source the same olive oils, sauces and locally produced honeycomb used at McNaughton's ventures - and when we mean local, we're talking about bee hives that live on the roof of Central Kitchen.

While Thomas McNaughton will technically be overseeing Salumeria, along with Central Kitchen and homestead Flour + Water, he's appointed Matthew Sigler to be chef de cuisine of the deli. You know it's going to have a serious food program if they're bringing in a chef de cuisine. Prior to the promotion of Pollnow and hiring of Michael Gaines at Central Kitchen, McNaughton never had a named chef de cuisine.

The set-up of Salumeria will be largely to go - with a display cases of the day's offerings. Food can be taken to go or enjoyed alfresco at the large communal table on the semi-covered patio that sits between Salumeria and Central Kitchen until about 4 PM, when the space gets turned over to the Central Kitchen guests. The patio itself, designed by Paxton Gate's' landscaping maestro Sean Quigley, is an oasis in the Mission itself, filled with lots of plants and a water feature made from a cast iron pipe flange framed by redwood and raw steel. Heated concrete floors, industrial strength heat lamps and retractable roof will allow for the diners to enjoy the space regardless of the weather. The deli itself will have a utilitarian feel to it, with concrete walls, metal strainers hung upside down as light fixtures and a slotted wood ceiling.

At press time, Salumeria is about three weeks out.

3000 20th Street at Florida Street; slated to open in the beginning of June, serving daily from 9 AM-9 PM.