We've all been to a wedding or two when, by the time the food comes out post ceremony, you're practically diving at the tiny hors d'oeuvres platters in an attempt to avoid a massive champagne headache. The wedding of Anthony Campolattaro and Annie Kampfshulte was not that sort of party. Never mind what the bride was wearing: the antipasto spread was the stuff of (Jersey Italian) legend.
New West KnifeWorks COO Anthony Campolattaro explains, "Last year Annie and I went to my cousin, Lia Campolattaro's, wedding to Lou Gencarelli. They had a 12 foot table of the finest Italian salamis and cheeses. Annie and I agreed that we needed something similar at our wedding."
One of Campolattaro's groomsmen, New West KnifeWorks founder Corey Milligan, stepped up to the plate and created the ultimate charcuterie board to please a diverse guest list of Jersey Italians, Midwesterners, and Jackson Hole residents. His cover photo-worthy antipasto board included a summer herbed cheese log, five hour eggs, white anchovies, and pickled veggies, but the star was undoubtedly Milligan's homemade cured meats.
Milligan went all out with three varieties of salami– finocchiona, Spanish-style chorizo, chive and lemon summer salami, plus Ski closet prosciutto and capicola. Campolattaro explains, "Corey channeled his inner Barefoot Contessa and crushed it. It was his masterpiece. My wife and I are forever grateful."
In case you're curious about the origins of Milligan's ski closet prosciutto, it is, in fact, made in his ski closet. While this may sound slightly suspect, it's actually pretty delicious– the dry, cool closet with consistent cellar temperature is the perfect place to hang curing meats– and Milligan often uses game meat like elk or deer, or other local cuts.
From the butchering of the pig to the final slicing and serving of the charcuterie, Corey's New West Knives were integral tools at every step. It was a true homage to the inventive culinary lifestyle and kinship that New West KnifeWorks aims to inspire.
Aside from being coworkers, Milligan and Campolattaro have a long history of friendship that goes all the way back to the rugby "field of dreams" where the wedding took place. They (the groom and the groomsman, not the groom and the bride) met playing rugby for the Jackson Hole Moose RFC. When Campolattaro was short on housing, a classic Jackson Hole dilemma, Milligan agreed to let him live in a cabin behind his house in exchange for babysitting his kids and working at the knife store a few days a week.
Word on the street is that Corey's brother Mike Milligan even helped Campolattaro draft his wedding vows. While the validity of this is up for debate, one thing is for certain: the New West antipasto spread was absolutely epic.
New West KnifeWorks Tips for Preparing the Perfect Antipasto Spread
If you're planning a wedding of of your own, did you know that now you can create a New West KnifeWorks registry?