From President/Company Chef John Haas:

2020 changed a lot of things for us in the world, and the restaurant industry certainly wasn’t an exception. That rang particularly true when it came to exposing the weaknesses of the supply chain for sourcing food. One of my favorite things about our company is that we do have the ability to pivot and quickly change things. As the news started to pour in about Midwest pork farmers, the lightbulb came on that we can do our part to help. Being an Iowan growing up in the heart of Pork country, I reached out to friends back home and started the process of finding a farmer who could partner with M’tucci’s.

An important part of the partnership was finding an independent farmer. We wanted to be sure that we knew who we were supporting. We know 100% of the money from the pork goes straight to his land and his pocket. We also wanted to find someone who was interested in ensuring that we have heritage breed pork and who would be open to evolving it genetically. It required learning about the feed, the farm, the whole process from start to finishing, including visiting the farm and creating a personal relationship with the farmer.

That farmer came to us in the way of Tom Sackett, whose father, Keith, purchased the land and built the family farm back in the 70’s. Located in the Southwest corner of Iowa, they raise cattle, hogs, corn and hay. Keith and his wife, Nancy, their son Tom, his wife Kristi and three children live and work on the farm.

Tom had a conversation with La Gazzeta while he was operating a combine last Sunday evening harvesting corn.

“My grandpa was a farmer /bus driver. Dad had 5 siblings. Then when grandpa died, Dad bought 80 acres from his siblings. Just happens we are in that field harvesting now. Grandpa bought it in 1938.

“When people asked me why I wanted to be a farmer, I always replied to them that I like to see how well I can make things grow”, Tom said.

They not only raise the breed of heritage pork that we like, Berkshire with Duroc crossed, but they are also strong advocates for land conservation, with thousands of feet of tiling and terracing which helps with drainage to prevent erosion.

Sackett family photos by Paul Setliff, ©1st&10Photography

Dining with the Fantasma family in Kansas City at Lidia’s

John Haas:

The next step was figuring out how the pork would make its way from the farm, to a processor, to a box, and to our restaurants back door. This wasn’t your typical operation because we are basically buying the whole pig and all of the cuts that are generated from the processing. Luck would have it, through an extended network, I found a custom USDA processor 2 hours from the farm. This was basically a needle in the haystack, but the final piece to make it really work. Even more wonderful, it’s an Italian family-run processor who works with arguably the best pork in the country. Lou Fantasma and the family were up to challenge.

Throughout the summer months, we’d built the relationship between us, the Fantasmas, and our primary distributor, Shamrock Foods, to transport the pork to us. This required all of us to be open-minded and to be up for a new challenge. It wasn’t the easiest thing to ask in the middle of a global pandemic, but fortunately they were all open to something new. Without Lou, this all would have fallen apart. As time went on, cut sheets (determining the cuts M’tucci’s would receive) were created and the program moved forward.

The final piece of the equation was going to Kansas City, meeting and touring Fantasmas and Sacketts operations, and developing the relationships. The Partner/Chefs (John Haas, Cory Gray, and Shawn Cronin) spent three days in September doing just that. In the end, we met some amazing people who we know we are supporting. We have developed our own supply lines straight from the farm. There is also the ability to completely customize every step of the process as it evolves.

We are excited that we will soon provide retail packages of House Bacon & Italian Sausage, using Tom Sackett’s pork, to the Albuquerque grocery market. We hope these products will be available by the end of 2020. The various cuts of pork will be offered on the menus at all M’tucci’s locations, as well as several new dishes being released shortly in our upcoming fall/winter menu’s.

It’s been an amazing journey, and we are fortunate to partner with open-minded and ambitious family-run businesses. To see this finally become a reality and to know just how incredibly great all the people involved are, it’s made every step of this crazy idea we had back in March worth it. I couldn’t be more excited to see this amazing pork finally served in our restaurants to all of you. The story and the people are as fantastic as the pork itself, and in the end, that’s really what this is all about.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli - Roasted Eggplant, Cucuzza Squash, Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato, White Wine Butter Sauce $21

Hand Cut 24oz Porterhouse - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $29

Braise - Sackett Farms Apple Braised Pork Cheeks, Creamy Risotto, Roasted Butternut Squash, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Caramelized Onion, Arugula $27

Gelato: Berry Vanilla Shrub

Sorbetto: Mango

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

24 oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $37

Pan-Seared Ono - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce, Capers, Prosciutto Powder $21

Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta - Pink Shrimp, Sweet Peppers, Spaghetti and Goat Cheese Sauce $19

Gelato: Dark Chocolate

Sorbetto: Mango

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Pan-Seared Fluke - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Braised Duroc Pork Ravioli - Caposaldo Chianti, Tomato Ragu, Cherry Tomatoes, Butter Leeks, Garnished with Parmigiano Reggiano, Lemon Amalfi Oil & Local Basil $16

Special Wine Offer: A glass of the same Chianti used in the Ragu is available with the Ravioli for only $6 and a bottle is $30.

Gelatos: Dark Chocolate & Strawberry

Sorbetto: Pineapple & Raspberry Lemon

Tuesday, October 27 - 4:00

Halloween Costumes & ABQ Bartender Competition/Fundraiser

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10% total restaurant sales for the day + proceeds from competition donated to CLN Kids

Call 505-554-2660 to reserve a 4 top VIP Table for $200 - includes prime seating for the Bartender Competition, 2 rounds Charcuterie/Cicchetti & specialty cocktail

10 local bartenders competing for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place - knock out style 3 rounds

We are auctioning drinks from competition to VIP tables

Door prices for best costume.