From Maine Farms to Your Table: Our Local Sourcing Story
When I first began my journey into plant-based charcuterie, I was driven by a simple yet profound question: How can we honor the centuries-old traditions of food preservation while embracing a more sustainable, plant-forward approach?
The answer, I discovered, lies not in abandoning tradition, but in understanding its essence and applying those principles to exceptional plant-based ingredients.
The Foundation of Flavor
Traditional charcuterie is built on three fundamental pillars: time, technique, and quality ingredients. These same principles guide every product we create at Mad Flavor. Our plant-based cheeses undergo careful aging processes, developing complex flavors through fermentation and time—just as traditional dairy cheeses do.
Take our signature chèvre, for example. We begin with the finest cashews, sourced from trusted suppliers, and transform them through a process that mirrors traditional cheese-making. The result is a product that not only matches the creamy texture and tangy flavor of goat cheese but often surpasses it in complexity and depth.
Innovation Through Tradition
What excites me most about plant-based charcuterie is how it allows us to push boundaries while respecting the past. Our smoked maple pimento cashew spread combines traditional smoking techniques with uniquely Maine ingredients—local maple syrup and carefully selected peppers that create a flavor profile impossible to achieve with conventional methods.
Each of our salamis follows time-honored Italian techniques, but we've replaced meat with carefully crafted plant proteins that deliver the same satisfying texture and umami-rich flavors that make traditional salami so beloved.
The Maine Difference
Working here in Maine has profoundly influenced our approach. The abundance of exceptional local ingredients—from Frinklepod Farm's seasonal produce to Springtide Farm's Maine seaweed—allows us to create products that are not just plant-based alternatives, but superior expressions of what food can be when crafted with care and intention.
Every morning at Fork Food Lab, I'm reminded that we're not just making food—we're preserving traditions, supporting our local community, and proving that plant-based eating can be both deeply satisfying and environmentally responsible.
This is the future of charcuterie: rooted in tradition, elevated by innovation, and made with love for both our craft and our planet.
Klajdi Plaku
Chef and founder of Mad Flavor, Klajdi brings Mediterranean traditions and New England innovation together to create exceptional plant-based foods. Based in Maine, he's passionate about local sourcing and sustainable food practices.
