Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo
Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Two suitcases in an empty airport hall.
AO Mailbag: Is It Normal to Share a Checked Bag With Your Boyfriend?
about 22 hours ago
Kolaches
How Texas Became an Unlikely Epicenter for Czech Pastries
2 days ago
What I Found Driving Across Northern Michigan
2 days ago
What I Found Driving Down Highway 61
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maine Unity Charcuterie
Gastro Obscura

Charcuterie

After giving up Michelin glamour for his Amish faith, one chef now makes stellar sausages in a small, off-the-grid shop.

Unity, Maine

Added By
Reina Gattuso
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Mike Mehlhorn/Used with permission
  Mike Mehlhorn/Used with permission
  Mark Spahr/Used with permission
  Erik Rueli/Used with permission
  Mark Spahr/Used with permission
  Amie Tullius/Used with permission
  Mike Mehlhorn/Used with permission
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A decade ago, you would have found Matthew Secich in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant, shouting obscenities at underlings as he hustled to prepare that night's service. Then, he left the high-stress world behind, converted to the Amish faith, and, along with his family, opened a small charcuterie shop in Unity, Maine.

Today, you'll find Secich at the end of a long road in the middle of a pine woods, beard down to his chest, hand-grinding meat to make sausages. Secich came up amid the frenetic rush of high-end kitchens such as Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, but at Charcuterie, time is all he has. In line with his faith, Secich's small shop is lit by oil lamps and heated by a wood stove. His meat is kept cool in a pine room stocked with 80 tons of ice that’s hand-cut each winter after being harvested from a local lake. The low-tech kitchen produces high-quality meats, from andouille and kielbasa sausage to cured meat sticks, the artisan answer to gas-station jerky. 

For Secich, cooking was always a way to participate in the community. "Man can't be selfish with food," he told Down East, a Maine publication. "When you have an opportunity to sit down and share a meal with someone, in many ways, you're sharing your heart." Removed from the pressures of fast-paced restaurant life, Secich's heart—and his charcuterie-making—has only grown more generous. 

Related Tags

Amish Charcuterie Meat Cured

Know Before You Go

Charcuterie is open only Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, along Leelyn Rd. in Unity. If you're lost and hungry, ask anyone in town: There are only a couple thousand residents, and just one popular Amish charcuterie shop.

Community Contributors

Added By

Reina Gattuso

Published

January 22, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://downeast.com/food-drink/the-cure/
Charcuterie
Leelyn Rd.
Unity, Maine, 04988
United States
44.613724, -69.303809
Get Directions

Nearby Places

L.C. Bates Museum

Fairfield, Maine

miles away

Camp Etna

Etna, Maine

miles away

Fort Knox State Historic Site

Prospect, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

Nearby Places

L.C. Bates Museum

Fairfield, Maine

miles away

Camp Etna

Etna, Maine

miles away

Fort Knox State Historic Site

Prospect, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

Related Places

  • Tripe is fried to a crisp.

    Rome, Italy

    L’Osteria della Trippa

    Everything from fried brains to stewed lungs are on the menu at this nose-to-tail spot.

  • A slice of cake is the perfect coda to a meal at Piatto Romano.

    Rome, Italy

    Piatto Romano

    Once the home of a renowned slaughterhouse, formerly working-class Testaccio is still the place to go for Roman offal dishes.

  • Tangy and fragrant with hickory smoke, the pulled pork is outstanding.

    Memphis, Tennessee

    Payne’s Bar-B-Q

    Line up for a hickory-smoked BBQ bologna sandwich at this family-run institution.

  • For nearly a century, this restaurant has only served steak-frites.

    Geneva, Switzerland

    Café de Paris

    The birthplace of a famous steak sauce still keeps its recipe a secret.

  • Roast goose, it’s what Kam’s does.

    Hong Kong

    Kam's Roast Goose

    Since 1942, this third-generation Cantonese barbecue join has been turning out gorgeously lacquered roasted meats.

  • Although this braised tripe is of humble origins, it’s given the royal treatment here.

    Porto, Portugal

    Líder

    Dine on Porto-style tripe at a restaurant run by the head of a gastronomic brotherhood dedicated to uplifting this humble dish.

  • This barbecue legend got its start as a roadside stand in 1973.

    Houston, Texas

    Burns Original BBQ

    Look no further than this local institution for the best East Texas–style barbecue.

  • While the büryan kebabi are the stars of the show here, but the menu is full of other gems.

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Siirt Şeref Büryan

    Come for the whole sides of slow-roasted lamb, stay for the regional Kurdish specialties.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.