GUSTI Blog

The King of Pesto

They call him the King of Pesto. True! He is Roberto Panizza who, finally, agreed to come to America with Gustiamo with his wonderful fresh pesto sauce. We are honored!!! This pesto needs refrigeration because it is made with all fresh ingredients and no conservatives. If you had a mortar and pestel, DOP genovese basil, genovese extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano reggiano aged 24 months, DOP pecorino fiore sardo, sea salt from Trapani, garlic from Vessalico... and a lot of time at your disposal, you can make it too!
Now, if you wish to hear the above again, but this time from the real King and with much more charm, click below and Roberto will explain to you in English what his Pesto is made with. Ah... he didn't mention his most important ingredients: passion and integrity. Grazie Roberto!!!

There Is Only ONE Balsamic Vinegar!

We love Michael White! He is as opinionated as we are and he hates cheap industrial balsamic vinegar such as those you typically find in supermarkets and specialty stores.  Michael White, in an interview in the Wall Street Journal, says: "I can do without all the different types of balsamic vinegars. The huge commercial market in America is all about packaging, and it's caramel color and red wine vinegar and they mix it together with sugar. I also can't stand drizzling with balsamic, it's totally annoying.

There's only one real balsamic, and that takes years to age. A sample is taken to the town of Spilamberto, where the consortium is, and they test it and you can only make so many bottles. "

The real Balsamic Vinegar that Michael refers to is called Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale and Gustiamo never carried anything but. Grazie, Michael, we could not have said it clearer.

Pianogrillo EV Olive Oil Goes to Aspen!

Carlo Mirarchi of venerable Roberta's in Brooklyn, was nominated Best New Chef 2011 and he is going to the Food & Wine Classics in Aspen to receive the well deserved award and to cook for food gods like Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali, Danny Meyer... this Saturday. Congratulations!!! Carlo is not going alone, he is bringing along Pianogrillo, his favorite EV Olive Oil made near Ragusa by Lorenzo Piccione from Tonda Iblea Olives. Not for nothing was Pianogrillo nominated Best of Sicily 2011!!! The Best chefs and The Best products travel always together!

Bella di Cerignola Olives Are So Good, Fit for a King

No kidding! Andrea Fratepietro, just emailed us the exciting news that his Bella di Cerignola are being tasted by the Royal Family. He was asked to send them (the Queen, King... everybody there) a presentation of his olives. This is what the Royal Family is reading, as we speak:

"The Fratepietro olive groves can be found in a beautiful and fertile area of Southern Italy in the heart of the Ofanto Valley near Cerignola. Hot dry summers, cold winters, and dry and windy weather provide the perfect conditions for the cultivation of olives. The family business was established in 1890 when Giovanni Fratepietro, aged just sixteen, inherited the Santo Stefano estate from his grandfather.

With hard work and passion, the precious knowledge of olive cultivation was passed down from generation to generation. Giovanni's grandson, Giovanni - named after his grandfather, later took over the business.  He turned it into a model of modern agriculture, sensitive to the natural growing cycles of the land. Today the estate is run by Andrea, Giovanni's son, who has dedicated himself to the business, compelled by a desire to follow in his father's footsteps and by his affection for the countryside. Andrea and his father Giovanni oversee the entire production process, making use of highly trained professionals, each an expert in a different stage of production.  Such team work ensures a final product of the highest quality, which encompasses the unique characteristics of the Cerignola area and the family's commitment to excellence. Hard work and perseverance have brought success to the company, but not at the expense of the traditional values of olive farming, since the family is committed to the preservation of the land and traditions that they love. To taste their olives and olive oils is to journey back in time to a bygone age, where nature was the true protagonist of flavour."
 

Lovely description! Andrea, did you send the Queen a link to GustiBlog, too? Let's hope the next time we are invited to Buckingham Palace, we are offered Andrea's Bella di Cerignola, with our Martini!!! Good luck, Fratepietro family, this would be really great and well deserved!!!

The best of the best of the best... Italy's Best Foods

What do they say about Gustiamo? This is Gale writing: "It has been many years since I first heard about your company from Arthur Schwartz's wonderful radio show. I have given your products as gifts to friends and family and annually buy all my olive oil from you when the new harvest arrives. I honestly believe you carry the best and most authentic products on the market and like to make my purchases from a small family run business such as yours. When I had a problem with a shipment one year, I was able to call you and the matter was resolved immediately. Much nicer than dealing with a large mail order catalog."

Italy's Best Food products and the best customer service! Amazon agrees! Five stars to Gustiamo on Amazon.com all the way!!! Read our ratings, here!

 

 

Tuesday Tastings Resume @ Il Cantuccio

The pilot series of Tastings @ Il Cantuccio we did at the end of last year were so successful, we decided to continue them in 2011. Same place, same time! It's going to be the first Tuesday of each month. We already had one. Did you miss the tasting of Bella di Cerignola Olives, on May 3rd? Do not worry, they are so good, we'll do another Bella tasting soon. We are getting ready for next week. Do come to Il Cantuccio, 91 Christopher st. in the Village, next Tuesday June 7th, from 5 to 7pm. It's a great opportunity to meet Gustiamo and our friends, taste Italy's Best Foods, learn about great products. Also, meet our smiling host, Lorenzo Palombo, one of the fab bakers/owners of Il Cantuccio. In the video below, Lorenzo tells us about his focaccia and schiacciata. Do you want to learn what is the difference? Watch the video, below! Which of our products does he like the best?  Watch the video, below.