Nelli's on Screen with Shane Delia

Having Shane Delia visit us at Nelli’s Ċarkuterija was one of those days.

We had the opportunity to meet Shane while filming for Shane Delia’s Malta, and to share a small part of what we do here in Gozo. It was the first time we had cameras in the kitchen in that way, following the process, asking questions, and giving us the chance to talk through the work behind our cured meats.

It was not about putting on a show. It was about showing the work as it is.

The curing room, the ingredients, the salt, the cuts, the waiting, the small decisions that shape each product. These are the things that usually happen quietly in the background, so it felt good to give them a little space.

What I appreciated most was the way Shane approached it. There was a genuine interest in Maltese food, local ingredients and the people trying to do something with them. That made the conversation feel easy. We spoke about why we cure, why we use what is around us, and why time matters so much in the way we work.

For me, that is what Nelli’s is about.

Not just making cured meats, but making something that carries a bit of where it comes from. Local meat, Gozo salt, herbs, smoke, patience, and a lot of trial and error along the way.

Being part of Shane Delia’s Malta reminded me that food does not need to come from a big place to have a story worth telling. Sometimes it starts in a small kitchen lab, with a simple idea, and slowly finds its way further than you expected.

The episode premieres on Monday, November 24th on SBS Food, and will also stream for free on SBS On Demand - Episode 6.

I hope that when people watch it, they get a sense of what we are trying to build at Nelli’s. Something rooted in Malta, shaped by time, and made to be shared.

— Notes from Max.