A few weeks ago, I stopped by Jersey Artisan Co. in East Hanover to speak with its owner, Salvatore Pisani. Sal and I had been texting back and forth for about a month about meeting up to talk about his business. I finally had gotten some time and decided to stop in unannounced hoping not to inconvenience him, but also hoping for some samples of cheese.

I arrived at the business park where Jersey Artisan Co. is and immediately got turned around and confused as to where the storefront was. I ended up parking quite a distance from the place and eventually found the store on foot. Finally reaching the door, I walked in and was struck by how bright and airy the place was, and cool. It was damned hot outside and the blast of cold air coming from the air conditioning vents was a welcome relief. You enter into a small retail space with an empty display cabinet/table directly in front of you. Turning left, you are confronted by a small cold display cabinet housing the various cheeses and baked goods of the day along with a menu perched on top.

I was soon greeted by one of Sal’s workers, Natalie, who, after introductions, called for Sal. Coming around the corner was a young, bearded man of medium height wearing a full apron reminiscent of those worn by dairy farmers. We introduced ourselves and I was relieved when Sal expressed gratitude for me showing up. After all, I had agreed to let him know when I was coming. With not a shred of annoyance, Sal waved his hand and invited me into the back.

And holy crap, what a clean kitchen! I hadn’t been in that new of a kitchen in nearly 20 years! And it got bigger as we went further into the back. Walking straight back behind the front display, you pass stacked bags of flour, both wheat and einkorn. The flour is King Arthur brand, while the einkorn is River Valley Community Grains, a coalition of farmers and millers in Northwest Jersey.

Walk a few steps further back and to the left and you’ll see two walk-in refrigerators flanking a meeting area recessed between them, complete with a table and white board. The perfect place for a discussion of product development or communal meals. Directly opposite the meeting area is a wide galley cooking area filled with ovens and burners, two of which are about the size of commercial wok burners. It’s a remarkably well designed kitchen.

Situated in the space between the cooking area and meeting area was the third team member, Abbie. Hovering over a metal cart, she was forming a large ball of mozzarella that would soon become many smaller balls of mozzarella.

Meanwhile, Sal and I talked. It turns out we both graduated from Morristown high school. Like me, he grew up there, telling me that his family’s small farm is by Streeter Pool, a pool I belonged to at one point. Not only that, but I had friends that lived up that way. His father emigrated here in 1986, bringing with him his knowledge of agriculture and cheese making, which is a big reason it dug so deeply into Sal’s brain. But I didn’t set out to report on the things that are already on Jersey Artisan Co.’s website. I set out to find out about the business and its performance thus far. I wanted to know what kind of customers he was seeing more of and what kind of growth he envisioned so I that I could start to get an idea of how to help with connections.

It turns out that restaurants already make up a small part of Sal’s customer base. Both the freshly baked bread and the freshly made cheese, the latter of which is made with milk from Spring Run Dairy in Pittstown, currently go out to restaurants in the area. In fact, he is currently in the process of leasing a space in the same business park that would process only wholesale items with the hope of reaching more restaurants and stores. A good amount of their business is made up of farmer’s market appearances where they encounter people seeking foods with fresh ingredients as well as those that have traveled to Italy who want to see if Sal’s cheese tastes authentic. According to Sal, they report that it does. Further sales occur when people order party trays, a little bit of everything offered at the time, or ask for cheese making demonstrations.

“I can’t do this. I need help!”, says Abbie. She’s having some trouble with the mozzarella ball, so Sal offers to help, cutting our conversation short. No matter, I wanted to see some cheese making. While Abbie holds the mother ball, Sal pinches off smaller balls and drops them into water. He explains that the pinching that he does with his thumbs helps to seal the moisture in, like closing a Ziploc bag. I can verify that it works, because no long after he starts he offers me a piece, and it was delicious. Slightly firm and snappy with just the right amount of salt.

All balls having been pinched, it was on to packaging. Each of the smaller balls were loaded into labeled containers, marked with a use-by date, and stocked away for later distribution.

“Do you want to see the walk-in?”, asks Sal. Of course I do! Inside is an assortment of products, from patiently waiting containers of ricotta, to burrata, and, in the back, hanging and looking like those stretched-out balls hanging off the back of a pick-up truck, was the scamorza. I’ve heard that cheese has an effect on the brain similar to narcotics – highly addictive. Well, I can tell you that looking in that refrigerator gave me the sweats. It was a cache you would have been more than happy to obtain by any means necessary. It’s time to go. Older now, I’ll admit, I don’t process cheese as well as I used to. I didn’t want to so quickly lose the friends I had just made, if you know what I mean.

Scamorza

Sal mentions that they have to get back to work, but that he was happy that I stopped by. We both make our way back to the retail section by the door, where we talk some more. I ask about the new space he wants to lease. “We’re in the final stages and only waiting for the fire marshal to inspect, but pinning him down has not been easy.”, he says. None of it has been easy. Going through all of the bureaucratic hoops is slow and painstakingly annoying, almost as if it’s designed to keep you from making sales. Fortunately, the town allowed Sal to create the small booth in the front to sell to the public. Having taken over what was once a catering kitchen, the space was not zoned for retail sale. But now, Sal is able to deal with walk-in customers, an absolutely necessary part of sales, and it was lucky for me, because it was high time to buy something. Of course, I had to try the ricotta, a cheese that I eat by the spoonful. My second choice was a peach ricotta cake that I just had to get. I love ricotta cakes. And that was it. Card out, reader prepped, card scanned, cheesy goodness mine.

We said our goodbyes and off I went. The next day I tried the ricotta, and it was definitely spoon worthy, creamy and salty. Delicious. Then I tried the cake, which was dense and moist, the two qualities that I most love about ricotta cakes. The cold, sweet Jersey peaches inside were wonderful. Both products were very satisfying and I highly recommend them.

So, should you ever be out and about in East Hanover, stop by and purchase something. Of course, you can also find them online, here. Hours change each week, so checking the website is a good idea before you get up and out. Also, don’t forget to find them on Facebook and follow them for updates on where they might be.

Speaking of that, maybe the best way to experience their products is to look up the local farmer’s markets that pop up in towns around north Jersey, like the one in Sparta, and you’re likely to find Jersey Artisan Co.’s stand.

Ciao!