Staphanie Zaccario. Founder at artisanalpantry.net
I met Stephanie once and I was immediately hooked. She knows a lot about pomodorini, all things Italy and most importantly she is a carnivore!
That’s my kind of gal.
Stephanie Zaccario was born in Brussels, Belgium, lived in Europe and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Hunter College in New York. Stephanie taught in New York City and Rye, NY before deciding to take some time off to raise her children. Inspired by the wonderful food products she encountered on a trip to Italy, she founded Artisanal Pantry in 2014. Artisanal Pantry imports some of the world’s finest specialty foods to the Unites States.
She says:
At the moment, I am completely immersed in Artisanal Pantry, the business that I founded last year. We work with Italian food artisans and import their products to the United States. I spent a year meeting these producers and curating a portfolio of their products. The reception to our line has been terrific and currently our products are available at gourmet retailers throughout CT, NY and MA.
Stephanie cooking tip:
Keep it simple. People don’t cook because they think it takes too much time, and that’s a shame. You can make something absolutely delicious in 15 minutes with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice, a zucchini and a piece of fish.
Secret Ingredient :
The Ursini Family makes wonderful flavored olive oils and using them is a great way to finish a dish. I use the lemon oil on grilled chicken or fish, or to dress a salad of arugula and fennel. The basil oil dresses a bruschetta or fresh ricotta nicely. And the spicy pepper oil is addicting on pizza or drizzled over a dish of pecorino cheese.
A night to remember :
My husband’s family is from Puglia. Savelletri, a little coastal town on the Adriatic has become my happy place. I insist we are there every year on August 15 for the celebration of the Ferragosto. It coincides with the feast of the assumption of Mary and kicks off a two week holiday period in Italy when the entire country goes on vacation.
The Masseria where we stay throws the best party you will ever attend and it is without question my favorite meal of the year. The men are making fresh mozzarella and burrata, others are manning the giant grills filled with sausages and baby octopus. The grandmothers are making orrechiete and cavatelli, and other women are frying hundreds of panzerotti. The eating and drinking goes on all night. There is live music, entertainment for the kids and fireworks. The DJ gets going around 11. Our kids stay up all night and it is the one time each year I can get my husband on the dance floor. What a night!
Favorite cooking tool:
My microplane grater is my favorite utensil. I use it for cheese, citrus zest, and chocolate. When we were in Umbria this summer, our friend Carlo taught me to grate fresh black truffle with it instead of traditionally shaving it.
Stephanie favorite place to shop:
I’m a big carnivore so it is odd that the place I like to shop most is Randazzo’s Fish Market in the Bronx. I’m in love with the entire experience – the variety is unbelievable and the freshness is on par with catching it yourself. We take the kids early in the morning and the fishmongers let them pet the lobsters and crabs and try to scare them with the live eels. If you want your kids to eat fish, let them do the shopping!
Keep it simple. People don’t cook because they think it takes too much time, and that’s a shame. You can make something absolutely delicious in 15 minutes with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice, a zucchini and a piece of fish.
The Ursini Family makes wonderful flavored olive oils and using them is a great way to finish a dish. I use the lemon oil on grilled chicken or fish, or to dress a salad of arugula and fennel. The basil oil dresses a bruschetta or fresh ricotta nicely. And the spicy pepper oil is addicting on pizza or drizzled over a dish of pecorino cheese.
A night to remember :
My husband’s family is from Puglia. Savelletri, a little coastal town on the Adriatic has become my happy place. I insist we are there every year on August 15 for the celebration of the Ferragosto. It coincides with the feast of the assumption of Mary and kicks off a two week holiday period in Italy when the entire country goes on vacation.
The Masseria where we stay throws the best party you will ever attend and it is without question my favorite meal of the year. The men are making fresh mozzarella and burrata, others are manning the giant grills filled with sausages and baby octopus. The grandmothers are making orrechiete and cavatelli, and other women are frying hundreds of panzerotti. The eating and drinking goes on all night. There is live music, entertainment for the kids and fireworks. The DJ gets going around 11. Our kids stay up all night and it is the one time each year I can get my husband on the dance floor. What a night!
Favorite cooking tool:
My microplane grater is my favorite utensil. I use it for cheese, citrus zest, and chocolate. When we were in Umbria this summer, our friend Carlo taught me to grate fresh black truffle with it instead of traditionally shaving it.
Stephanie favorite place to shop:
I’m a big carnivore so it is odd that the place I like to shop most is Randazzo’s Fish Market in the Bronx. I’m in love with the entire experience – the variety is unbelievable and the freshness is on par with catching it yourself. We take the kids early in the morning and the fishmongers let them pet the lobsters and crabs and try to scare them with the live eels. If you want your kids to eat fish, let them do the shopping!
My husband’s family is from Puglia. Savelletri, a little coastal town on the Adriatic has become my happy place. I insist we are there every year on August 15 for the celebration of the Ferragosto. It coincides with the feast of the assumption of Mary and kicks off a two week holiday period in Italy when the entire country goes on vacation.
The Masseria where we stay throws the best party you will ever attend and it is without question my favorite meal of the year. The men are making fresh mozzarella and burrata, others are manning the giant grills filled with sausages and baby octopus. The grandmothers are making orrechiete and cavatelli, and other women are frying hundreds of panzerotti. The eating and drinking goes on all night. There is live music, entertainment for the kids and fireworks. The DJ gets going around 11. Our kids stay up all night and it is the one time each year I can get my husband on the dance floor. What a night!
My microplane grater is my favorite utensil. I use it for cheese, citrus zest, and chocolate. When we were in Umbria this summer, our friend Carlo taught me to grate fresh black truffle with it instead of traditionally shaving it.
Stephanie favorite place to shop:
I’m a big carnivore so it is odd that the place I like to shop most is Randazzo’s Fish Market in the Bronx. I’m in love with the entire experience – the variety is unbelievable and the freshness is on par with catching it yourself. We take the kids early in the morning and the fishmongers let them pet the lobsters and crabs and try to scare them with the live eels. If you want your kids to eat fish, let them do the shopping!
I’m a big carnivore so it is odd that the place I like to shop most is Randazzo’s Fish Market in the Bronx. I’m in love with the entire experience – the variety is unbelievable and the freshness is on par with catching it yourself. We take the kids early in the morning and the fishmongers let them pet the lobsters and crabs and try to scare them with the live eels. If you want your kids to eat fish, let them do the shopping!
