Florencio Sanchidrián has been slicing Iberian ham (jamon) for the last three decades and today his name is synonymous with the Spanish delicacy. The 55-year-old is regarded as the world’s best ham slicer in the world, and he charges for his services – a reported $4,000 to slice a leg of ham.

Born in the city of Avila, Spain, Sanchidrián trained as a professional bullfighter in his youth, but eventually put his red cape away and moved to Barcelona to work as a waiter. One day, he started cutting ham and simply fell in love with it. He started taking jamon slicing courses, and before long, he was winning slicing competitions as well as national and international awards. Florencio is now known as an ambassador of Iberian ham around the world, and he tours the five continents “with a leg of ham under his arm” once or twice a year.

Floren has sliced ham for a number of celebrities, including President Barrack Obama, Robert De Niro, David Beckham, and for his majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain. He has performed his jamon-slicing art at the Oscars, Hollywood private parties and at casinos in Las Vegas and Macau.

He considers jamon slicing an art form. While he masterfully cuts slices of ham thin enough to see through, he entertains his audience by giving them information about the pig’s breeding, the history of Iberian ham and the type of jamon they are about to enjoy. It’s an artistic performance, and people are crazy about it. At least crazy enough to pay him $4,000 for it.