It's impossible not to like someone who can find a way to claim that cookies are a vegetable. But if meat is more your speed than sweets or plants, you'll still find something in common with Cristiano, who is so passionate about making salumi that he moved all the way to the U.S. from his native Italy to share his products with us. So while they might not celebrate Thanksgiving in Cristiano's home town, we can be thankful to include a Creminelli salami as part of our own holiday feast. Speaking of food culture and traditions, you might enjoy these videos that Cristiano made to help educate consumers about the culture of cured meats.

When did you know that you wanted to work in food?

I always knew I would be a salumi artisan. My father would take me to work when I was very young - I would see everything from how he would make the salami by hand to how he chose the pork to use. There was never any question - in Italy you do what your father did. But for me, I was lucky, I love salami. I love food. This kind of work for me isn't "work." It's my hobby and my passion.

How did you get your current good food job?

My father, brother, and I have been making salumi in Biella, my hometown [in Piedmont, Italy]. I met Chris Bowler, who became my business partner, after he sampled some of the salumi and learned that my family had won many awards and titles, including one from Slow Food Italy and the title of "Artisan of Excellence." In Italy, this award is quite the honor. So in 2006-7, we started Creminelli here in the U.S. Ever since then I have been making artisan salami in the U.S.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?

I've been training all my life to be a salumi artisan. People say I work a lot - I check the salami often. In the middle of the night, early in the morning, I will be here to check the pH, the curing process, how they taste. But for me, it's not a job. I've always worked this way. This is how to make salami.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?

I would love to make artisan salami for everyone to enjoy, but I have only so much time and space. As for quitting? I don't know what else I was meant to do. I was born to be an salumiere - salumi artisan.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

Pastries. I love them - cake, cookies, chocolate. I have a sweet tooth. My wife gets very mad at me. She wants me to eat more healthy, more vegetables. But I tell her that cookies are made from flour, which comes from a grain, which is a plant. So cookies are my vegetable ?