Oser Communications Group

Special Feature P A S T A S & S A U C E S GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SPECIAL FEATURE 2 9 The retail food landscape has long been populated by bland, low-cost spaghetti noodles and insipid jars of watery marinara sauce. However, gourmet foods companies are revolutionizing the world of prepared sauces and dry, fresh and frozen pastas with high- quality ingredients and surprising flavor combinations. More and more consumers are turning to these companies and their products in order to make their Italian meals more memorable. Here are 10 companies to look for when stocking your shelves with artisan pastas and sauces. 1. Cucina Antica Foods Corp. The 2014 sofi Award winner in the Outstanding Pasta Sauce category for its Tuscany Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, Cucina Antica Foods Corp. offers a broad selection of all-natural sauces and authentic Italian pastas. The signature Tuscany Pumpkin Sauce features pumpkin and carrot puree, mixed with Italian San Marzano tomatoes, autumn spices and a touch of cream. www.cucina-antica.com 2. Dave's Gourmet The gourmet pasta sauce experts at Dave's Gourmet strive to think outside the box when it comes to introducing new sauce flavors into the specialty food marketplace. The company's product line contains unexpected hits like butternut squash, Indian-inspired masala marinara and wild mushroom. Dave's Gourmet also offers a gourmet pasta sauce gift basket. www.davesgourmet.com 3. The French Farm The French Farm offers a number of Italian specialties, including herb mixes, risotto mixes, polenta, sauces and dry pastas. The company recently introduced a new product to its line of brightly colored pastas: farfaline (bowtie). The new multicolor farfaline pasta is made exclusively from high-quality durum wheat semolina, tinged with natural plant-based colors. www.thefrenchfarm.com 4. Italian Foods Corporation The shelf-stable dry stuffed pastas in Italian Foods Corporation's La Piana line are a convenient and delicious way to enjoy an authentic Italian specialty. The stuffed pastas include ravioli, tortellini and mezzaluna filled with everything from Gorgonzola to winter squash to pesto. Italian Foods Corporation also offers artisan egg pastas, gnocchi and jarred sauces. www.italianfoods.com 5. La Pasta Inc. A brilliantly-colored artisanal pasta delicacy, La Pasta's Beet, Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese ravioli recently won the 2014 sofi Award in the Outstanding Pasta, Rice or Grain category. The product features the star ingredients wrapped in a delicate pasta sheath. In addition to this sofi Award-winning ravioli, La Pasta delights consumers with fresh vegan and gluten-free pasta offerings. www.lapastainc.com 6. Michael's of Brooklyn Michael's of Brooklyn traditional Italian tomato sauces taste like homemade, because they use high-quality ingredients: imported Italian tomatoes, fresh herbs and spices, garlic, onion and olive oil. The result is an extraordinary range of fresh, delicious sauces in six distinctive flavors, including marinara, tomato basil, filetto di pomodoro, puttanesca, arrabbiata and the newest flavor, home style gravy. www.michaelsofbrooklyn.com 7. Pastificio Felicetti Felicetti pasta is the world's largest supplier of 100 percent organic pasta. The company's pasta is outstanding because of its exceptional aromatic quality, taste and excellent nutritional value. These results are thanks to the attention paid to three key components: flour, water and drying technique. The company's Monograno Felicetti line comes in three varieties: Farro, Kamut and Matt. www.felicetti.it 8. Po Valley Foods Imported from the Po Valley plains of northern Italy, the products from Po Valley Foods include dry pastas, risotto, rice, polenta, olive oils and vinegars. The company offers four dry pasta lines: Campofilone ® Elite, high-quality egg pastas; Premiato Pastificio Afeltra, bronze drawn durum wheat pastas; Carlo Moro, a line of buckwheat pastas; and Casarecci di Calabria pasta kits. www.povalleyfoods.com 9. Robert Rothschild Farm The artichoke pasta sauce from Robert Rothschild Farm features tender artichokes blended with tomatoes, onions, celery and herbs, creating a truly gourmet pasta topping. The product is just one of a number of distinctive pasta sauces offered by Robert Rothschild Farm. The company's other sauces include puttanesca, vodka, roasted portabella, roma tomato and more. www.robertrothschild.com 10. Sauces 'n Love Specialty food company Sauces 'n Love recently introduced a line of gluten-free pastas, including ravioli, tagliatelle, rigatoni and gnocchi. These products have a premium gourmet taste that surpasses many traditional wheat pastas in flavor and consistency and pairs perfectly with the brand's pasta sauces. It is an innovation both omnivorous gourmands and wellness-concerned customers can enjoy together with gusto. www.saucesnlove.com Help Your Customers Throw an Italian Pasta Feast with Products from These 10 Companies BY LORRIE BAUMANN Wild Forest Products was founded in 2004 with the idea that the sublime taste of truf- fles should not be a luxury reserved exclu- sively for the wealthy, says Mario Fortunato, the company's CEO and co- owner. "I was talking to a fellow in the business that's really knowledgeable, and I pointed out that he was talking about very expen- sive products, and the average guy can't af- ford it, and I thought that's crazy – why can't a guy have this, just to have the taste," Fortunato says. "A lot of import companies act very snobbish towards people who couldn't afford it. Wild Forest Products started with the idea of producing an af- fordable truffle product – not cheap, but af- fordable, so people can afford to use it. We decided that's what we were going to do, and it took off." That egalitarian sentiment has now mushroomed into a wide range of specialty foods products carrying Wild Forest and MarDona brands that tantalize the taste buds at retail prices that do not break the bank. "My bottle of truffle oil averages around $18 a bottle. It's not cheap, but we want to make it affordable for somebody so they can enjoy the product. You can't give them a fresh truffle for that, but you can put them in that world," Fortunato says. "Put it on potatoes. Put it on a salad. There's so much you can do with it." The MarDona name is a combination of Fortunato's own first name and that of his wife, Donna. They could not trademark the name MarDonna because that was too close to a famous singer's trademark, but Mar- Dona satisfied the U.S. government. Now, MarDona is even making desserts more fla- vorful, with a line of Balsamic Condimenti Glazes that come in 13 different flavors. "Coffee balsamic is great on ice cream," Fortunato says. "The Balsamic Condimenti is excellent. It's one of the best things we've found." MarDona is also known for appetizers, including muffuletta salad and a chopped giardiniera – mild and hot – that is finely chopped to be added to salads. "Pickled Brussels sprouts, garlic cloves brined so they become firm and crisp. We make an artichoke dip with a little bit of spinach that can be used as is or mixed with sour cream or cream cheese. We make a spinach dip with a little bit of heat to it that can be used straight or mixed with sour cream or cream cheese or even added into macaroni and cheese," Fortunato says with a voice as infused with passion as his oils are with fla- vor. MarDona infused olive oils are all pure olive oil, with sev- eral flavors available, including blood orange, lime, garlic, basil, basil/garlic, rosemary, rose- mary/basil and more. Fortunato points out, "We're also known for truffle butter under both the Wild Forest and MarDona brands, and roasted garlic but- ter, which makes great garlic bread, or it's great with pasta." Fortunato just keeps adding to the prod- uct line, he says, and it also includes dried black truffles, dried morel, chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms as well as some new products that are currently still in develop- ment. "We're working on truffle-infused pesto. We're doing a few test runs right now," Fortunato says. "We're also working on a new truffle mustard. We're working on chopped muffuletta mustard for sand- wiches or a dip." GN Wild Forest Products has its office in New York City, with plants in Chicago and Waterbury, Connecticut. The company is particularly well-known for importing spe- cialty truffle products, including truffle essences and sea salts from Italy, which are blended with other quality products and packaged in the United States for distribu- tion to the American market. Some of those other products include Italian olive oil, used to make the truffle oil, Tupelo honey, blended with truffle essence to make truffle honey and organic mayonnaise, blended with truffle essence to make truffle mayon- naise. "And also truffle pieces as well," For- tunato says. Fortunato is also CEO of MarDona Spe- cialty Foods, Ltd., which was started in 2008 and imports a variety of other spe- cialty foods products, including balsamic vinegar aged between 12 and 18 years, and also balsamic glaze, packaged in a chef- style squeeze bottle. "We were one of the first to put infused olive oil in a spray bot- tle, which works out to 2.5 calories per spray," Fortunato says. There are 13 flavors of glazes and 11 flavors of olive oil sprays. Black truffle spray is now available in a 4- ounce bottle, as is a white truffle spray. Pasta sauces offered under the brand in- clude MarDona Black Truffle Marinara Sauce, MarDona Porcini Mushroom Mari- nara Sauce and MarDona Pancetta Pasta Sauce. Wild Forest Products: Talking Truffles with No Trifling

• Cover