December 16, 2009

Matthew Hranek Makes the Bacon

Last Sunday afternoon, the William Brown Project set up shop at the Cynthia Rowley boutique in the West Village. Special offerings included homemade pork products such as rillettes, vinegars, savory jams, and bacon. William Brown came about from Matthew Hranek’s love of the outdoors and simple, pure, great-tasting food.

Eight years ago, Hranek and his wife purchased a 131-acre property in Mileses, New York. The pastoral land had a pond, plenty of trees, but no dwelling save for an old red barn. They set out building something modern and simple, and after much research decided on prefab housing by architect Oskar Leo Kaufmann’s company, OLK.

After settling into their new home, Hranek moved onto his next project. Wanting to have more control over the flavor of what he ate, Hranek began raising pigs with his neighbor. They started out smoking bacon, moved onto rillettes, and continually developed their arsenal of charcuterie.

More on the history of William Brown