For Balducci?s Food Lover?s Market, Buongustaio is not just the Italian translation for ?gourmet,? it is a way of life. The specialty food retailer -- which has delighted generations of epicureans, gourmands and other hungry foodies since its 1916 founding -- is preparing to honor its heritage with a month-long series of celebrity chef demonstrations, cookbook signings, classes and tastings featuring the authentic tastes and flavors of Italy.
Balducci?s Italian Heritage Month celebration will officially kick off on October 7, with a featured selection of Italian fare in the prepared foods department, authentic Italian sandwiches in the delicatessen and a selection of more than 1,000 imported Italian products throughout the stores.
In addition, Balducci?s has prepared a full calendar of events for each of its 10 stores, including appearances by celebrity chefs Roberto Donna of Galileo Restaurant and the New Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City, VA and Frank Pellegrino of Rao?s.
?Since Balducci?s early days as a small shop in New York City, we have been committed to sourcing some of the best and most unique Italian products available,? noted Balducci?s CEO Barbara Parasco. ?Italian Heritage Month is a perfect time to celebrate our roots, feature our unmatched selection of imported goods and partner with some of our most distinguished Italian American neighbors.?
Some of the authentic products showcased over the course of the month will include: Speck Alto Adige IGP, a smoked prosciutto from the Northernmost region of Italy; Authentic Asiago DOP cheese, valued for its history and time-honored manufacturing process; along with some of the finest and most respected Italian imports including: Pastiglie Leone, Benedetto Cavalieri pasta, Caffarel chocolates, Amaretti Virginia, La Romagna pasta, La Valle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, Coelsanus antipasti vegetables, Casa Bruna tapenades and Rustichella d?Abruzzo to name a few. Balducci?s will also feature artisanal cheeses, authentically cured meats and extra virgin olive oils from 15 different regions throughout Italy.
The specialty food store will also highlight with sampling three new sandwiches in their delicatessen and four new pasta dishes in prepared foods. The culinary vision for these dishes comes in part from Balducci?s Corporate Chef Effie Spiegler, who trained at the elite Relais & Ch?teaux in Tuscany, Italy.
In addition to featured products and events, Balducci?s is pleased to partner with the Centennial Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), The National Italian American Foundation and Casa Italiana to promote their respective celebrations of Italian Heritage Month.
The original Balducci?s was founded as a fruit-and-vegetable stand in Brooklyn in 1916 by a young immigrant from Corato-Bari, Italy named Louis "Pop" Balducci. Balducci's quickly acquired an outstanding reputation throughout New York. In 1946, Pop and his son Andy opened their first retail store in Greenwich Village; this expanded, department by department, until they finally opened a new store at 424 Sixth Avenue that would become known as the Balducci?s, beloved by foodies everywhere. Acquired by Sutton Place Gourmet in 1999, (which in turn was acquired by Bear Stearns Merchant Banking in November, 2003) Balducci?s has been re-invented as the Food Lover?s Market.
A sneak preview of Balducci?s events calendar is attached. For more information, or to find a Balducci?s near you, please visit http://www.balduccis.com.
Authentic Italian Cuisine with Chef Roberto Donna, Galileo Restaurant and the New Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City, VA
Balducci?s of Alexandria, VA
Monday, October 9, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Galileo has been named one of the 10 best Italian restaurants in America by Wine Spectator and one of the 20 finest restaurants in the world outside of Italy, according to the President of Italy himself. Chef Roberto Donna is the winner of numerous awards, including the prestigious James Beard award, and recently appeared in Food Network?s Kitchen Stadium against Iron Chef Morimoto.
Seasonal Italian Fare with Pietro Scotti, Executive Chef of Da Pietro?s and Zest
Balducci?s of Westport, CT
Wednesday, October 11, 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
Pietro Scotti has been a gastronome all his life. Now, as the owner of Westport?s popular Da Pietro?s and Zest, Scotti has received much praise for his regional, seasonal fare.
National Italian American Foundation presents Frank Pellegrino, of Rao?s
Balducci?s of Chelsea, NY
Wednesday, October 11, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Join members of the New York City Chapter of the NIAF for a special book signing with legendary New Yorker Frank Pellegrino, author of Rao's Recipes from the Neighborhood.
Simple Italian Sandwiches with Jason Denton of Lupa and Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
Balducci?s of Chelsea, NY
Friday, October 13, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Join Restaurateur Jason Denton for a series of demos from his latest cookbook, Simple Italian Sandwiches- Recipes from America?s Favorite Panini Bar. Denton is responsible for some of New York's most successful and well-loved restaurants. In addition to creating 'ino and ;inoteca, Jason and his partners, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, own and run Lupa Osteria Romano and Otto.
Touring the Flavors of Italy with Balducci?s Corporate Chef Effie Speigler
Balducci?s of Chelsea, NY
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Learn the secrets of great Italian cooking from ?our house?, as Balducci?s Corporate Chef, Effie Speigler offers a cooking class featuring some of his own favorite Italian dishes.
Italian Cooking, ?Ouattara? Style, with Chefs Morou and Amadou Ouattara
Balducci?s of Alexandria, VA
Monday, October 23, 5-7 p.m.
Learn Italian cooking, ?Ouattara? style. Featuring Celebrity Chef Morou Ouattara, of the soon-to-open Farrah Olivia by Morou, and his brother Amadou Ouattara, celebrated chef, and owner of Tirami Su in Middleburg, VA. This class will feature a rare opportunity to see both brothers on the same stage, creating their versions of traditional Italian favorites.
Seasonal Italian Fare with Carmine Marzano, Chef/Owner of Ristorante Luigino
Balducci?s of Washington, DC
Saturday, October 28, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
After serving as executive chef of the exclusive Ristorante Giudice in Turin, Italy, Carmine came to the U.S. to assist Roberto Donna with the opening of Galileo. While a sous chef for Galileo, Marzano met and married Deborah Bruzzo, the daughter of the owner of Washington's popular Luigi restaurant, and soon thereafter opened Ristorante Luigino, known for its outstanding Northern Italian cuisine.
Demo/Book Signing by Chef Fabio Trabocchi, Maestro Restaurant
Balducci?s of McLean, VA
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
After winning critical acclaim at some of Europe?s most renowned restaurants, this native of Italy moved to the Washington, DC area to open Maestro at The Ritz-Carlton in McLean, VA. Named by FOOD & WINE magazine as one of the ?Best New Chefs? in America, Trabocchi has also just released his first cookbook, Cucina of Le Marche: A Chef's Treasury of Recipes from Italy's Last Culinary Frontier
Media are invited to attend any of the October events. For more information, please contact Carrie Fox at 301-754-3614.
Balducci?s Food Lover?s Market is one of the largest specialty food companies in the country, with 10 stores and 4 restaurants, and a heritage that dates back to 1916. Formerly operating under the names Hay Day Country Farm Market, Sutton Place Gourmet and Balducci?s, the company was purchased in November 2003 by an investment group led by Bear Stearns Merchant Banking. The Balducci?s flagship store on 8th Avenue in Manhattan opened in December 2005. For more information on Balducci?s, visit http://www.balduccis.com.
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