I started this business in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1993 when my brother—what was he thinking?—sent me a Hondo smoker which was the size and shape of a small locomotive and arrived on the back of a Yellow Freight 18-wheeler. This was after several trips in the 1980s to Scotland, Yorkshire, Cornwall and Devon, where I discovered the pleasures of “locally oak-smoked” trout, mackerel, and smoked salmon, and how well they all went with a pint. In Scotland I had the great honor to meet Duncan Stewart—Dunky to all who knew him—the caretaker of the flat we were renting. Dunky often started the day with a few wee drams of Scotch, meaning that by mid-day, when he was smoking mackerel and salmon for half the people in the village, he welcomed some assistance, and I was pressed into duty. It was in Scotland and England that I learned how to smoke fish and to get a glimpse of the role it could play in everyday cuisine.
I began Tracklements with Malt-whisky cured Highland Smoked Salmon, hand-rubbed, dry cured, and sold in unsliced center-cut pieces. By 1994 our varieties included Thai (a perennial favorite), Mediterranean and Teriyaki, and we got our first write-up in The New York Times where the famed food critic Florence Fabricant praised its “lush” flavor. That same year Diversion magazine pronounced our salmon to be “among the most succulent to pass our lips,” that “literally melts in your mouth.” So Tracklements was on its way.
In 1996, with my wife joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, I moved the business to Ann Arbor and in 1997 opened the shop in Kerrytown, where we are to this day. At first there was skepticism about a smoked salmon shop in the Midwest, but thanks to excellent suppliers, and great reviews, we were able to succeed. Here I was able to develop new products such as our hot-smoked “kippered” salmon and the home-run miso/mirin/tamari marinade-cured smoked salmon.
By that Christmas, The New York Times’ Marian Burros included our Sampler Gift Pack of Highland, Thai, and Mediterranean smoked salmon in her Best Mail Order Gifts of the Holidays. In 2001, Marian Burros hosted her annual tasting party where guests picked their top Holiday Food Gifts. But that year, the 20th anniversary of her holiday food guide, Burros showcased her “all-time top 25 picks” to select from and they chose Tracklements’ Classic Highland Smoked Salmon as the best over five other top purveyors. By phone, Ms. Burros informed us that this is the first unanimous selection ever, and the decision was “no comparison”!
In 2010, we were honored to have Anthony Bourdain visit the shop. He was completely down to earth, friendly, and generous towards the staff. He loved the salmon, but his favorite was our smoked mackerel, accompanied by a glass of white wine. Meeting him was a real privilege.
Over the years we have developed an avid following of seasonal specialties–warm-smoked sable, Finnan haddie, soups, stews, and casseroles over the winter and holiday season, and smoked salmon spread and tapenade, along with salmon and trout salads. We have also featured a rotating repertoire of “heat and eat” dishes, as well as smoked and/or braised meats such as pulled pork, pork cheeks, duck legs and our well-loved brined, cold-smoked, cook-at-home pork chops. We have added smoked trout, cheeses, smoked olives and other specialties to our weekly mainstays.
We have a very small staff, which doesn’t change often, headed by our manager Ellen, much beloved by our customers. Margarito has been with us since 2003, curing, cleaning the smokers, doing all kinds of heavy lifting and so much more. “Our Story” has so much to do with our customers—we are deeply grateful to be able to say that we have a wonderful, long-standing, loyal clientele (many of whom are still with us from the Amherst days!) with whom we have shared much food, conversation and single-malt whisky. We always appreciate their enthusiastic, discerning feedback, an invaluable resource for us! Here’s to all of them, and all of those to come.