Oser Communications Group

GourmET nEWS oCTobEr 2016 PASTA, GrAinS & SAuCES 2 0 Cucina Antica Foods provides families with wholesome products made from the freshest ingredients. As Chef Neil Fusco, Owner of Cucina Antica Foods, explains, "We use the finest in- gredients and keep it simple, never adding any preservatives or unnecessary ingredients such as sugar or water." Born on a farm in San Marzano, Italy, home of the world-renowned San Marzano plum tomato, Fusco cherished his time helping his mother prepare meals, and she instilled in him a commitment to using only the freshest ingredients. That time shaped his philosophy, and he remains dedicated to the production, quality and honesty of his products: "We have high quality standards and we do not cut corners. We do not use any inferior ingredients for the sake of cut- ting cost," he explains. Fusco's passion for cooking is ever-present in the Cucina An- tica cooking sauce brand, which appeals to consumers desiring a homemade flavor. The Cucina Antica cooking and pasta sauces are made with imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes, and never with artifi- cial preservatives, added sugar, water or tomato paste. Fusco makes the products through an ar- tisanal production method that allows consumers to cook the sauces without losing any flavor. "The arti- sanal method leaves ample room for the home chef to truly make homemade meals, and the consumer does not need to worry about our sauces becoming acidic from over- cooking. Most other sauces are made to simply be warmed and served, but our sauces allow the home chef to discover new 'pasta-bilities!'" Fusco adds emphat- ically: "We offer a product that is unique." The Cucina Antica cooking sauces have a fresh and light taste, allowing the home chef to prepare a wholesome, true and honest meal. Cucina Antica Foods Corp. www.cucina-antica.com Cucina Antica Offers Homemade Flavor Only a few pasta brands have effectively built their sales, merchandising and mar- keting platforms to capitalize on nutrition, wellness and fitness. Adding a philan- thropic component to these platforms brings one brand, Explore Cuisine, to the top of the healthy and alter- native sector within the pasta category. Since 2011, Explore Cuisine has led the healthy pasta revolution one store at a time. Explore Cuisine takes additional steps to highlight the incredible nutritional benefits of plant- based bean pasta. Whether it's protein, fiber, potassium or other components of the nutrition panel, Explore Cuisine is the solution for consumers and retailers alike. This summer, Explore Cuisine expanded its product offerings to include nine new pastas: six brand new pastas and three re- formulations of existing SKUs. The launch of the six Explore Cuisine Pulse Pastas has invigorated the category once again. Unique and innovative Pulse Pastas, in- cluding Organic Chickpea Spaghetti, Or- ganic Chickpea Fusilli, Organic Red Lentil Penne, Organic Green Lentil Penne, Or- ganic Red Lentil Spaghetti and Organic Green Lentil Lasagne, have once again propelled the Explore Cuisine brand into high-level discussions with distributors and retailers throughout the US. These new pastas are important to retailers' cat- egories because they taste and feel nearly identical to traditional wheat pasta, yet supply vital nutrition. All SKUs are certified organic, gluten free and non-GMO. Another segment within Explore Cui- sine's portfolio includes a reformulation of its rice pasta SKUs. These rice pastas will include pea protein, which allows the brand to continue to offer high protein pasta. An added benefit of the pea protein is that the great-tast- ing pasta is extremely easy to prepare. In fact, there is almost no difference in prepa- ration or directions from traditional wheat pasta, and adding pea protein raises the protein content to an impressive 11g of protein per serving. While not as high as bean pasta (25 grams) or pulse pasta (13 grams), the protein content in Explore Cui- sine's rice pasta is a factor to watch for. Slightly less expensive than bean or pulse pasta, consumers will certainly be looking for these products at stores across the US. Two percent of all Explore Cuisine worldwide proceeds go directly to the Food To Thrive Foundation, providing ed- ucation, empowerment and advancement in farming programs to every Explore Cui- sine team member. Explore Cuisine www.explorecuisine.com Pasta Category Bursting With Innovation Fiesta Fioretti pasta is a wonderful blend of red bell pepper, jalapeño and plain pasta. Now don't let those jalapeños scare you; they have lots of flavor without too much heat. This blend is not overly spicy; it has the wonderful flavor of the peppers and gives a zing to any sauce. The Fioretti shape, which means small flower in Italian, will hold your sauce perfectly. This pasta is made in the Italian tradition with a bronze die giv- ing the pasta a rough texture, slow-dried over an extended period of time. It's hand- crafted and packaged to provide a firm pasta with a pleasantly soft tex- ture. The flavors of the pasta comes through best with a cream sauce, a garlic sauce or even a brown butter sage sauce. This is also great for cold pasta salads. Want to kick up your mac and cheese? This will do the trick. Intermountain Specialty Food Group 801.977.9077 www.intermountainfood.com Fiesta Fioretti Pasta from Intermountain Specialty

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