GUSTI Blog

GUSTiamO's Second Day With the Kids from the South Bronx. Give Us More!!!

GUSTiamO's second day with the kids from the South Bronx was even more successful than the first. In fact, now we know each other and we are welcomed with their big smiles. They are happy to see us. Isn't that wonderful!!! We LOVE them!!!

First destination: the garden in front of the Bronx River Art Center to pick mysterious things like herbs, swisschard, peppers, tomatoes and onions. Then we all go to the Mary Mitchell Community Center and they learn about rice (last week was pasta) and get to work. They chopped, sauteed (with ev olive oil, of course), steamed the rice, mixed everything together and topped it with EV Olive Oil.

This is Kimberly, the sous chef. She would not leave her station, she loved it so much! The dish was so good, the six kids in the program were so proud of their own work, they invited all the others at the school to join them. 50 more kids arrived and sat at the table. OUR six kids served their guests. It was a glorious moment! Not one grain of rice was left. Great stuff, at Gustiamo. Give us more!!!

Say Thank You With a Wonderful Gift of Sant'Eustachio Coffee

Wondering what to send your host as a thank you for their wonderful hospitality in their beach house, mountain chalet or apartment in the city?

InStyle magazine, now on the newstands, has a great idea!!! Send them the gift of  legendary coffee from Roma.

Remember, this is the coffee which William Grimes said was worth flying to Roma for.

Caffe' Sant'Eustachio is a Roman legend. This is the coffee bar where Romans in the know stop for their liquid fuel----daily doses of espresso and cappuccino. Located in the heart of Rome between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, Sant'Eustachio has been producing its signature coffee since 1938.

Sant'Eustachio coffee is slow roasted over woodwithout chemical processing. The beans, selected by the owner Roberto Ricci, are a blend of 100% Arabica. The taste is smooth and sweet and the acidity low.

In Case You Were in Africa, Too, and Could Not Find Good Food!

"Dear Gustiamo, Thanks for your response. I didn't receive an email from UPS, but I suspect the package will get to me shortly. I currently live in Ethiopia (and the box will generally arrive here two weeks after being delivered via our diplomatic pouch) so I am sure I will be getting it in a few days. Your products are really fantastic and your packing is superb. Everything always arrives perfectly -- and I really enjoy them in Addis. Thanks for such a wonderful website and lovely products!
Kind regards, Jane"

Silver Medals at The Los Angeles International EV Olive Oils Competition

The EV Olive Oils: Cafaggio from Siena, Vicopisano from Pisa and Cru di Cures from Lazio performed very well at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. They all received the Silver Medal.

In our opinion, they all deserved the gold, but we understand. The 18 judges must have gotten distracted; in fact, it is very difficult to keep your concentration and gustatory buds when you taste 500+ oils!

To Enrico, Nicola and Laura our sincere congratulations.   

Post post addendum of 7/22 - pls read, very important:

We just read more dramatic news from Los Angeles!!! the LATimes (read the article) reports that "More than two-thirds of common brands of extra-virgin olive oil found in California grocery stores aren't what they claim to be". We are SHOCKED!!! Only two thirds? We thought MOST of the EV Olive Oil in the market are NOT  EV Olive Oils. Trust your  taste buds and your merchant! And remember, when the olive oil is cheap, it might be rancid!

 

GUSTiamO's First Day. Six Kids from SOBRO Play and Learn in the Warehouse

Our first day of GUSTiamO was great! Six kids from the South Bronx learned where Italy is (they seemed to care!), how olive oil is made (we squeezed an olive!), saw a plant of basil and drew pictures of tomato plants. It was fascinating to see them make their own pasta dish and pick with their hands (carefully washed, before) from several bowls with our basic ingredients: farfalle pasta, peeled tomatoes, chopped basil, olive oil and sea salt. They loved their lunch! Hopefully, they learned that if they use good and healthy ingredients, they can have a delicious [and healthy]meal.

 It was amazing to see how curious they were and how fast they learned. They were very well behaved and smart. Nyara said: I wish I could live here! meaning she wanted to move in the warehouse, with us. Angel said: This is the best fun EVER, EVER! For us, too. Thanks to Gail and Heidi for being part of this amazing experience. The next GUSTiamO days are July 20 and July 27. Stay tuned!

Bradley Farm - It's Good to Feel at Home

This is celebrity farmer Ray Bradley of Bradley Farm, one of the vendors at my local farmer's market, on  the Upper West side, every friday morning. It is my weekly appointment, when  I am in the city and I love it! It's like  being at home in Roma, where everybody knows you, chats with you and shares recipes. Only that in New York you deal with real stars. Ray, for example, was featured twice in the NYTimes last year and once already this year. Not only he didn't become arrogant, after all this buzz...he is the dearest man. Today, I didn't have any money, shopped at his table for 15 dollars. He said, don't worry at all, you'll pay me next time. I felt right at home.

Why the DOP Saffron Navelli Is the Best of the World and Why It Is So Expensive.

Watch these 2 lovely videos below. They were shot in Navelli, in Abruzzi, where the famous saffron is cultivated. Remember, to get 1 kilo of saffron, you need to pick 250,000 flowers! Look at the families who pick the flowers at dawn in October. Their backs must be broken! I feel for them! Don't you? Well, after feeling guilty, you can order the DOP Navelli saffron here and enjoy the best saffron in the world.

Gustiamo Cares! A 3 Day Fun Food Program for Kids in the South Bronx!

We care about our neighborhood! We want to do some good and help people eat better here, in the South Bronx. After reading the scary article about the Bronx Obesity-Hunger Paradox, we decided to take action. With Gail of the Bronx River Art Center, and with Heidi of the Mary Mitchell Community Center, Gustiamo is sponsoring a three day program where kids will play with and learn about good ingredients and where they come from, shop at the local farmer's market and make pizza in a real pizzeria on Arthur Avenue. Flier is on the left, here. The first day of the program, next Tuesday, will be at Gustiamo: 10 kids will come to the warehouse and will prepare their own pasta (farfalle!) with olive oil, fresh and canned tomatoes, zucchine and herbs. It will be a revelation for them! What fun!!! Their parents will come along and enjoy the free lunch, too! Will we change something? Will the kids like it? We surely hope so!!!

The Obesity-Hunger Paradox. In The South Bronx the Highest Rate.

The South Bronx is our day time neighborhood. We come here every single day, rain or shine, to work in our office/warehouse. We see the people who live in this area every day and there is no doubt that obesity is a major problem. Surprisingly, I just read in the NYTimes, also hunger is a major problem in the South Bronx. It is called the Bronx Obesity-Hunger Paradox. They say that hunger and obesity are often flip sides to the same malnutrition coin. Sad but true!!! You can't find a decent place to eat or to shop for food around here. Nobody cooks at home. We are thinking of doing something!!!

Tradition Meets Tatoos and Piercing in the Coffee World.

Sant'Eustachio Coffee's owner, Raimondo (second from right), is in New York and pays a visit with us to Stumptown, the cool coffee bar in the Ace Hotel. He goes to work at the machine right away and loves the coffee (it is roasted in Brooklyn by our friend Ed!). Raimondo says  there is three times more coffee in one cup than what is customary in Italy and at Sant'Eustachio in Roma. It was like business suit (Raimondo) meets tatoos and piercing; traditional meets cool. As it happens, it was quite a celebration, because we found out that the lovely young people behind the counter at Stumptown knew all about Sant'Eustachio and had visited the coffee bar in Roma. They said the coffee in Roma was exceptional! We agree!