Goodbye To A Semi-Famous Amish Business
It’s not “goodbye” quite yet, but one Maine Amishman is soon closing down his – dare I say semi-famous – upscale meats-and-cheeses market.
I call it “semi-famous” because Matthew Secich’s Charcuterie has been featured multiple times in newspaper articles.
Part of the public interest has to do with his unusual background. Secich is a former big-city chef who joined the Amish in the Unity, Maine community some years ago.
He’s also faced public conflict over health regulations, drawing additional attention.
The latest we’ve heard here is a firsthand account from author Judy Stavisky, who visited Secich at Charcuterie last year.
The dizzying array of the cured meats and cheeses hang far afield from most Amish stores, where mild cheeses are the norm.
Thai Curry Coconut Sausage, Black Pepper and Onion pork preserved in natural casings and Candied Ginger Sausage all find a comfortable home displayed in tidy groups on a hand-hewn metal rack.
Each flavor is ground by hand and prepared without the advantage of electricity.
About a decade ago, Secich would have been found working alongside world acclaimed Chicago chef and restauranteur, Charlie Trotter. But these days, Matthew finds a comfortable role as owner and chef at Charcuterie.
He and his family moved to Unity about eight years ago, seeking a new spiritual home in the Amish community.
How does Matthew refrigerate the meats to be processed and preserved? Frozen local lakes, of course! Ice is collected over the winter. Matthew and neighbors help haul the 80 tons of the frozen water to a well-insulated room attached to the shop.
Why is Charcuterie closing?
So why is Charcuterie closing? Secich is moving – all the way out to a fledgling Amish community in Montana. From the Bangor Daily News:
He does plan to take his business with him to Montana, though he must still find a new meat supplier. He’ll be moving out with his wife, their kids and his service dog Shadow, becoming one of the first families in a budding Amish community out there.
The family is seeking friendlier climes for health reasons:
In an interview, Secich said his departure from Maine is primarily related to health complications from his military service decades ago in the Persian Gulf, which include inflammation in his hands.
“Living out west on a higher altitude with low humidity and in a drier climate is much better for my health,” he said.
Saying goodbye will be hard:
While the family is excited for the new beginning, Secich said it will be difficult to say goodbye to the establishment he’s run for the past decade.
Secich noted that he’s made more friends than he can count, with customers coming from all over Maine and beyond to buy his cheeses and hand-smoked meats.
“I truly believe that, really, meat and cheese is just an avenue to make friends, that’s all it is,” Secich said.
It’s got to be hard to give that up. But as Secich tells BDN, “if there’s anything that I can truly boast about my life is that we, with the charcuterie here, have been so blessed to make a lot of friends. It’s just wonderful.”
So Charcuterie is not exactly gone for good…but if you are one of Secich’s current customers, and want to visit the store, you’ll really have to make a special effort to get there.
Unless you’re local to northwest Montana, in which case I say, lucky you! According to Secich, he does not know exactly when Charcuterie’s doors will shut for good, but expects it to be in May 2025.
A delightful destination!
This news is quite a surprise! Secich is an engaging storyteller, his family warm and welcoming and his charcuterie among the most varied and delicious found anywhere. May Montana have less snow and an equal number of those who will seek out Matthew from all corners of the globe. When I visited from Philadelphia, there was an Asian chef there via word-of-mouth and a California couple who made the trek just to taste one of Secich’s specialities like Candied Ginger and Black Pepper & Onion. I wish the Secich family godspeed and more curious customers!
I was very glad you got to visit and share your account with us, Judy. Hopefully he’ll have similar interest once set up in the new community in Montana, despite its more remote location.