Chad Colby's Salumi Bar | Los Angeles

A former colleague of his at Campanile once described Mozza's Chad Colby as an idiot savant of pork.

Colby does have a way with the beasts, as evidenced by his 2011 local win at Cochon 555 and monthly whole-hog dinners held at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza.

Now, after years of haggling with the city health department, Colby is highlighting another aspect of his impressive porcine skills every other Thursday: curing and aging the meat.

There's a reason rillettes and pâtés dominate the charcuterie platters of Los Angeles restaurants: Making salami and its long-aged kin is illegal in most restaurant settings. We're hoping Mozza's bureaucratic triumph will pave the way for more extensive cured-meat operations around town.

The meats are served in small portions, so opt for the selection of five ($22), and definitely include the speck. Nearly equal parts silky fat and delicate, savory flesh, the gossamer slices best encapsulate Colby's triumph.

We might not be able to recreate that speck at home, but the cold salad of plump, perfectly cooked shelling beans blanketed with chopped marjoram is bound to be repurposed at our next picnic. 

The Scuola di Pizza Salumi Bar is held every other Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. Scuola di Pizza, 6610 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; 323-297-1130 or mozza2go.com