Once a month at Durban's I Heart market, a father and son set up their stall and sell salami, coppa, bresaola, lonza and pancetta, meat cured the Italian way, slowly, carefully, and with love.They call themselves "Col'tempo", Italian for "with time".Hylton and Paul Rabinowitz are not Italian. There was no nonna in the kitchen, no plates of pasta growing up, but there was always an affinity for food.Hylton says he has been in the food business all his life. (He took a 30-year sojourn to found and grow Natal Wholesale Jewellers, the only franchised jewellery brand in South Africa, but that's another story.) Originally from Zimbabwe, he remembers his parents in their Bulawayo kitchen half a century ago creating mayonnaise and tomato sauce, products they named Rabroy, that are iconically Zimbabwean.After a successful spell in the restaurant trade in Durban Hylton eventually got out of the food business. "I swore I'd never go back but it gets into your blood."When he retired five years ago, he went straight back into the kitchen. "I began making cheese and yoghurts, but acquiring milk was a schlep so I bought a little mincer and started to cure meat."When the house could no longer hold another salami, Hylton's wife, Sue, booked a stand at the I Heart market. "I loved it," he says, "I can't describe the gratification when someone comes and spends their hard-earned money on our product."Son Paul, who had studied design in Italy and was fluent in Italian, joined Hylton, and together they took the business to the next level. It was no walk in the park. "Italians don't document their products," explains Paul. "It's a mix of secrecy and family. They pass their recipes and methods from one generation to the other."It took a trip to Italy, determination, relationship building, research and plenty of experimentation to come up with authentic products and consistent results."We now have it down to a fine art. We do things properly. Consistency is crucial. Everything is properly formulated, weighed to the last gram. Recipes are minutely adjusted and we are always looking to improve," says Paul."Many times when we thought we had it right we might suddenly get a different colour mould. And we may have the best machinery but it can't tell us exactly how many days to hang a particular salami. We have to be there constantly - touching, feeling, tasting."Col'tempo meats are free from binders and emulsifiers. Prime cuts are used and, as far as possible, the meat is free-range. "People are becoming more aware," says Hylton, "they don't want a sausage full of corn, MSG and filler, they want the genuine product."They supply their products to some of the most discerning chefs and restaurants in Durban: The Glenwood bakery and restaurant; Parc café; Paul Sheppard of Marco Paulo and Ray's Kitchen; Chris Black of Lupa."We eat like Italians," says Hylton, "we love good, authentic, quality produce. My particular favourite is something spicy like our abruzzo. It goes down exceptionally well with a glass - or a bottle - of red wine."For a list of suppliers of Col'tempo meats go to www.coltempo.co.za/find-us..