Chef Unveils Colicchio Collection Premium Sauces
The Colicchio Collection, featuring a line of ultra-premium cooking and pairing sauces crafted by chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio in partnership with The Jersey Tomato Co. and KEEN Growth Capital, has debuted for purchase online.
Colicchio looked to Italy’s most beloved culinary regions for inspiration in crafting the six sauces, all made with 100 percent vine-ripened New Jersey tomatoes, which are prized for their sumptuous flavor and delicate balance of sweetness and acidity. Each sauce in the Colicchio Collection is made with ingredients unique to its region of Italy and is intended to complement a range of dishes, including six recipes developed by Colicchio to highlight the sauces’ distinct flavor profiles, from clams with pancetta and mustard greens to eggplant shakshuka.
“I wanted to capture the exciting variety of cuisines throughout Italy in a collection that home cooks could use to elevate and enhance their everyday cooking,” Colicchio said. “The inherent brightness and balance of these sauces allows the regional ingredients to shine through, taking stews, braised and grilled meats, seafood, even pizza to another level of flavor and vibrancy.”
Colicchio first joined The Jersey Tomato Co. in 2020 as an equity partner, brand ambassador and culinary consultant driving innovation. The Colicchio Collection marks the New Jersey native’s first original offering in partnership with the brand.
“It’s been a joy to collaborate with chef Colicchio on The Jersey Tomato Co., and we’re thrilled to introduce consumers to his first original, ultrai-premium line,” says Mike Hagan, CEO of KEEN Growth Capital’s Emerging Brands Portfolio. “It’s an exciting chapter of what we hope becomes a cornerstone of the home kitchen.”
As with all The Jersey Tomato Co. sauces, the Colicchio Collection is lower in sodium, gluten-free, non-GMO and Kosher, and has no added sugars or artificial preservatives. The six sauce flavors include:
- Liguria: lemon, white wine, provençal herbs
- Trentino: wild mushroom, parmesan, rosemary
- Sicilia: orange, black olive, white wine
- Piemonte: barolo wine, sage
- Abruzzo: saffron, fennel pollen
- Calabria: eggplant, zucchini, and chilis
The Colicchio Collection is available as a Club Colicchio subscription with exclusive member benefits and as a one-time purchase of $45 for a set of three 16-ounce jars.
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Zeppole Mix Company Sponsors Italian-American Comedian
Zeppole, LLC is sponsoring popular Italian-American comedian Mike Marino.
“Marino directs his comedy towards all types of people, particularly Italian-Americans,” said CEO Joseph Camerieri, creator of Zeppole Mix. “But more importantly, he is an Italian-American and so passionate and emotionally excited about the product, hence I could not be happier with our sponsorship of Mike Marino.
“He fits our ideal demographic. We love his comedy tour ‘Make American Italian Again‘ and his podcast ‘Live from My Mother’s Basement‘ with past guests like Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering and actor Joe Montagna from ‘Criminal Minds’, Sean Kanan ‘Karate Kid Part 3’.”
Although the Zeppole mix has been around for a long time, few people are aware of the back story that led to its inspiration. There was a famous Manhattan Italian Feast of San Gennaro, a booth, a real Italian married couple, and now the company announces they will be sponsoring a well-known spokesman and comedian.
Joseph’s mother, Gaetana “Chickie” Camerieri, was born and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. While growing up, she often celebrated the Feast of San Gennaro. In 1976, Mother Gaetana moved to Florida along with her husband and three children. Years later, as a member of a newly formed Italian women’s group, she pitched the idea of an Italian Feast of San Gennaro to be showcased in Safety Harbor. Fla. The festival soon grew to 15,000 attendees for a three-day weekend event.
Over the years, this recipe was the reason why over 500,000 Zeppole were sold at numerous Italian festivals. As time went on, Joseph Camerieri decided to develop a formula for turning their popular recipe in to a dry mix that could be sold to make at home. Also, the mix could easily be done at home into the tasty treat offered at the festival.
“We couldn’t believe how our Zeppole became such a hit with the festival goers, every year,” Camerieri said. “We hope this unique delicious mix turns out to be somehow a tribute to mom and dad.”
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HKW Recapitalizes Golden Country Oriental Food, Golden Ocean Seafood
HKW has recapitalized Golden Country Oriental Food LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Golden Ocean Seafood Inc. The Lee family will remain significant investors in the company, and the management team will remain in place.
Golden Country is a distributor of authentic ethnic foods primarily servicing the grocery, wholesale, and foodservice channels. It is a distributor of frozen seafood servicing the same channels. The company carries more than 3,500 dry, refrigerated, and frozen SKUs sourced from over 20 countries.
“The Lee family has built a tremendous business,” said John Carsello, Partner at HKW. “We have a long track record in specialty distribution and believe we can be a value-added partner for Golden Country as the business enters its next growth phase.”
“From our beginnings as a small grocery store in the early 70s servicing customers in Chicago’s Chinatown, we have grown to service customers throughout the Midwest,” said Sidney Lee, CEO. “This new partnership with John Carsello and his team will enable Golden Country to achieve our ambitious growth objectives and continue to provide our customers with the best product selection at affordable prices.”
“Golden Country is poised to benefit from market and demographic trends and is in a good position to accelerate expansion through add-on acquisitions,” said Michael Terrell, Vice President at HKW. “We intend to use a comparable playbook at Golden Country as we have in the past on similar investments.”
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as legal counsel to HKW. G2 Capital Advisors, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Golden Country.
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