Author: Rosella Presta

For week 2 of Italian heritage month, Daniela, Angelo’s granddaughter, picks a staple Italian snack that is her favorite for so many reasons! Daniela’s pick is La Bella Romana Taralli.

Taralli offer a unique blend of flavors that are both comforting and satisfying. The combination of the salty dough, the subtle sweetness of the wine, and the aromatic herbs creates a delicious and well-balanced snack. They are often enjoyed with a glass of wine, particularly a light white like a Pinot Grigio.

Our La Bella Romana brand is imported from Italy and come in many different varieties! These include rosemary and potato, black pepper, paprika, and fennel. Though they are all delicious and different, Daniela’s go to is the classic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They are like comfort food and she loves them so much she brings them on any vacation or outing– she even brought La Bella Romana taralli with her to Italy! They remind her of our Nonna Romana because Nonna always used to have taralli to snack on in her house.  

Taralli can be enjoyed in many ways. They are a great snack on their own, but they can also be paired with other foods. Here are a few ideas:

• Appetizer: Serve taralli with a dip like hummus, pesto, or olive tapenade.
• Side dish: Enjoy taralli as a side dish to a salad or soup.
• Snack: Pack taralli in your lunchbox or purse for a quick and satisfying snacks
• As a topping: you can crumble taralli over soup or salad for a crunchy topping

Around Easter time, you will find large, sugar coated taralli that we make fresh in our bakery!

Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy snack or a tasty addition to a charcuterie board, taralli are a great option to try.

Check back next week for Giancarlo’s pick!

Feeding Families & Their Traditions from Generation to Generation

October is Italian National Heritage Month. As a store started by an Italian immigrant, we are proud to celebrate our heritage with you all! 

To us, our Italian culture is a huge part of our foundation as a family and as a business. When our founder, Angelo Caputo, was just a teenager, he aspired to come to America in order to live out the American Dream and be able to provide for himself and his future family. He, like so many other immigrants, saw America as a land of opportunity. So when he had the opportunity to gain US citizenship by enlisting in the US Army, that’s what he did. He came to America at 18 ready to work… and work he did. 

He eventually opened Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets. It started as a little produce market, but as more Italians came to America, he wanted to bring pieces of home here. Eventually, the little produce stand grew to serve a variety of cultures through importing! We continue to grow and bring other country’s staples right to your Caputo’s! 

Your heritage is a big part of who you are. It shapes your values, character, traditions, and so much more. With October being Italian National Heritage Month, our family wants to call out some of our favorite Italian products, so stay tuned each week to see what different members of our family pick!

Week 1– Rosella’s pick

Homemade Hand Dipped Ricotta

Rosella’s favorite Italian product that we carry is our homemade, hand dipped ricotta. Homemade ricotta is a simple, yet incredibly delicious cheese. She loves how versatile it is and that is can really be used in any meal– from ricotta avocado toast to sandwiches to pasta sauces and lasagna to desserts! 

Ricotta is made from re-cooking the milk whey leftover from the production of other cheese. The result is a soft, creamy, and delicious cheese! The taste is like no other. It’s fresh, creamy, and versatile– it can be a great compliment to any dish or main ingredient in another! You can change the flavor profile depending on what you pair it with and use it to elevate any dish or meal! 

Check out more info on the ricotta and different ways to enjoy it here

Stay tuned next week for Daniela’s favorite item!

Feeding Families & Their Traditions from Generation to Generation

Have you heard the great news? Our Hanover Park Store is open! After a complete remodel of the interior of the store, we are so proud of our changes and thrilled to be back serving the Hanover Park community!

This remodel includes expanded departments, brand new equipment, new decor, a new layout, and more. We still have everything we are known for, but in a new setting! Some new departments include our coffee bar and gelato, fresh sushi made in house daily, hot foods line, extensive prepared foods department, a bigger bakery and deli, and more.

Join us this Saturday 9/28 from 11am-3pm for our grand opening celebration!

We will have tons of free activities for kids. There will be pumpkin painting, cupcake decorating, and face painting. From 11am-2pm there will be pony rides and a petting zoo! There will be a DJ playing great music, tons of in-store demos, and raffles! 

You will get a raffle ticket with any purchase from 11am-3pm on 9/28. You can take your shot at winning things like a grill, yeti cooler, Cheez-It basketball chair, Caputo’s BBQ set, and Caputo’s gift card. We also will have a guessing game where you can guess how many candy corns are in a jar and win a Caputo’s gift card!

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone for their support and patience during our remodel. We are so grateful for our loyal customers and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.

We hope to see you this Saturday for our Grand opening festivities and for you to come check out some of the changes we’ve made!

From Our Family To Yours

Every year on September 13th, chocolate lovers around the world come together to celebrate International Chocolate Day. This delectable occasion is a time to savor the rich, creamy, and indulgent flavors of chocolate in all its forms. From dark and bittersweet to milk and white, there’s chocolate out there to satisfy every craving.

When thinking of chocolate, the natural first stop is to head straight to our bakery where we have tons of options for the chocolate lover. Our La Bella Romana bakery items are all made from scratch in our central bakery daily. Many recipes are our matriarch, Romana Caputo’s, recipes– just adapted to be made in larger batches so we can feed all families. She had a passion for cooking and baking and so it was only fitting that our bakery was named in her honor, the La Bella Romana bakery.

Pastries, cookies, cakes, and more… There’s a dessert for everyone who loves chocolate! Here are 5 chocolatey must tries in our La Bella Romana bakery

Chocolate Spice Cookies

These classic Italian cookies are adapted from our matriarch’s recipe and a perfect little treat! The deep, yet subtle chocolate flavor is combined with warm spices and orange zest for a warm, delicious, and soft cookie!

Chocolate Dipped Cannoli Shells

Did you know we make our own cannoli shells from scratch? If you’re a chocolate lover, we then take our homemade shells and dip them in chocolate so you are getting a completely chocolate covered shell! Filled with our homemade cannoli filling and then dipped with chocolate chips… it’s the perfect amount of chocolate! 

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Brownies

Double the chocolate goodness! Our brownies are a moist, fudgy brownie covered in fudge for extra chocolate goodness. This decadent treat that satisfies any sweet tooth with its moist texture and intense chocolate flavor, it’s a classic dessert enjoyed by people of all ages! Try it with a scoop of ice cream!

Chocolate Parfait

A great dessert for one or for 2 (if you feel like sharing and we completely understand if you don’t! Our chocolate parfait comes in an individual container. It is a layer of cake and chocolate french cream topped with whipped cream and chocolates.

Nutella Roll

Sometimes all you need is a little bit of nutella, so how about a dessert centered around it? A mix of cake and chocolate nutella all rolled up into one dessert!

What’s your favorite chocolate item?

From Our Family To Yours

If you’re looking for an easy protein for dinner, chicken is always good! Chicken is a staple in diets worldwide for good reason. It’s a lean, low-fat source of protein that offers numerous health benefits. 

Chickens are packed with protein, essential vitamins, and minerals, making them a healthy choice for people of all ages. So if you have a picky eater or you’re looking to get some extra protein into your kids’ diets, chicken is a great option because you can prepare it in so many different ways.

From roasted to fried, grilled to poached, chickens can be prepared in countless ways to suit any taste. Different spices, marinades, dips… There are so many ways to enjoy chicken. 

At Caputo’s, we have tons of different chicken options that the whole family will enjoy. Here are 4 different options we offer that are simple and delicious!

Rotisserie Chicken

Already hot, this is great for a weeknight dinner! Rotisserie chicken is a chicken cooked on a rotisserie, using direct heat to cook because the chicken is placed next to the heat source. The chickens are put onto rods that rotate to ensure optimal juiciness and cooking. 

You can feel good about feeding it to your family. Our chickens are always fresh and never frozen. There are no added hormones or steroids and they are MSG free. In addition to these benefits, the taste is incredible!

Our chicken is known for its outstanding flavor and juiciness. We season it with a special herb rub. The special seasoning is made with a variety of different herbs and spices to give the chicken a unique and delicious flavor. It is our homemade blend that we took the time to test and develop until we got it to the special blend we were proud to feed you and your families!

Chicken Kabobs

Kabobs are a great way to incorporate many vegetables into your dinner without dirtying a lot of dishes. The grill adds great flavors to the protein as well as the vegetables. We offer kabobs together in our meat department. They come in chicken or beef and have peppers, onions, and tomatoes on them. You can get it plain and add your own flavors. You can also ask for them marinated and we will add our own marinade to the kabobs. All you have to do is put them on the grill and enjoy! These kabobs are also great in an air fryer!

Pre-Marinated chicken breast

We all know that the flavor of the main dishes has a lot to do with the marinades, that is why we offer tons of pre-marinated fish, chicken, and meat! In tons of varieties for whatever your taste buds are calling for, this is an easy BBQ staple! Garlic parmesan chicken breast, Mediterranean chicken, Greek chicken drumsticks, chicken fajitas, and more! They are great on their own and in sandwiches. 

Try this recipe for a Mediterranean chicken night!

Chicken Selections in Prepared Foods

Need to get dinner together quickly? Head straight to our hot foods! We have tons of different chicken dishes ready to go. Our prepared foods selections are all made in-house in our kitchen commissary daily. We use all natural, high quality ingredients with no additives or preservatives. You can feel good about what you’re feeding your family when you shop our prepared foods section! We have individual options as well as pans so you can feed the whole family. We have simply grilled, vesuvio, lemon, fried, marsala, breaded, and more! We also offer our sauces so you can marinade them yourself if you prefer!

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From Our Family To Yours

Labor Day is the perfect time to gather with friends and family for a classic American BBQ. The warm weather, long weekends, and relaxed atmosphere make it the ideal occasion to fire up the grill and enjoy delicious food.

If you’re looking for simple on-the-grill favorites, head right to our meat department! We have tons of options and we proudly feature Iowa Premium meats! Iowa Premium exclusively offers family farm raised, corn-fed Black Angus Beef. These generational family farms are all local to the Midwest dedicated to animal welfare and sustainability. The black angus are known for their quality marbling which leads to exceptional flavor, tenderness, and juiciness. 

We also make our own sausage! Our sausage is made in-house daily. The process starts with our old-world tradition of using hand-trimmed lean pork. We mix the pork with our private blend of spices and seasonings, developed specifically for our sausage. 

Our recipes and sausage making process have been tested, tweaked, and perfected throughout the years. We believe in transparency, so you can trust that what you’re eating is authentic!

We also have a variety of pre-marinated meats and chicken! We have a variety of pre-marinated meat and chicken for you to choose from. Because they are all pre-marinated, all you have to do is take them home and cook them. Some of our pre-marinated chickens include, rosemary and herb, garlic parmesan, mediterranean style, and more. We have kabobs and steaks too! These are all-natural with no preservatives, making it an easy meal solution that is good for you and your family. 

Need some side ideas? Here are 4 great side ideas!

Italian Potato Salad

This flavorful Italian potato salad is a refreshing and colorful side dish, perfect for picnics, potlucks, or a summer BBQ. The combination of tender potatoes, crisp green beans, red onion, and a light vinaigrette with fresh herbs creates a delicious and satisfying salad.

The Recipe: https://www.shopcaputos.com/recipes/italian-potato-salad-with-red-onions-green-beans-herbs 

Peach Summer Salad

This light and refreshing salad is a perfect summer side dish or even a main course for a lighter lunch. The sweet peaches and creamy mozzarella are balanced by the sharp red onion and tangy homemade vinaigrette for a perfect dish

The recipe: https://www.shopcaputos.com/recipes/summer-salad

Ricotta Pesto Pasta Salad

Ricotta Pesto Pasta Salad is a light and refreshing dish that’s perfect for summer gatherings. It combines the creamy texture of ricotta cheese with the vibrant flavor of our homemade pesto sauce, creating a harmonious blend. Tender pasta is tossed with this creamy ricotta pesto mixture with some deliciously grilled veggies. This salad is not only delicious but also visually appealing, making it a great addition to any picnic or potluck.

The Recipe: https://www.shopcaputos.com/recipes/ricotta-pesto-pasta-salad-with-roasted-zucchini-and-tomatoes

Elotes

Elotes, also known as Mexican street corn, is a simple yet flavorful dish perfect as a side or snack. This recipe uses traditional ingredients to create the creamy, cheesy, and smoky goodness that defines elotes. We used already blended taco seasoning for all our spices which saves a lot of time and ingredients, and still makes for a delicious spice blend for our elotes!

The Recipe: https://www.shopcaputos.com/recipes/authentic-elotes-mexican-street-corn

Shop Caputo’s for all your Labor Day cookout menu ingredients, and take advantage of Caputo’s Labor Day deals now.

From Our Family To Yours

Is there anything more iconic than a juicy burger? From backyard barbecues to gourmet restaurants, this BBQ staple has captured hearts and taste buds worldwide.  

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect burger. Some prefer it simple with just cheese, lettuce, and tomato, while others love to experiment with bold flavors and unique toppings. Here are 5 different ways to take your burger to the next level

1. Add guacamole

Our homemade guacamole is a fantastic addition to any burger. Its creamy texture, fresh flavors, and hint of spice elevate the classic burger experience. You can go even further and add complementary toppings like grilled onions, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese or bacon

2. Use mini focaccia as the bun

A real game changer! We all know that bread has the power to make or break a sandwich and the same goes with a burger. Slice our homemade mini focaccia in half and use it as a bun for your burger! No burger will ever be the same after! 

3. Try a stuffed burger

If you want to try something different, head to our meat department and try one of our stuffed burgers! We have a variety of burgers that are filled with a mixture of ingredients and will make your tastebuds happy! We have cheddar jalapeno, black pepper, blue cheese, cheddar bacon, and cheddar stuffed!

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4. Add chili

Chili on a burger is a classic combination that delivers a hearty and flavorful experience. The rich, savory chili complements the juicy burger patty perfectly. Award winning, our La Bella Romana Chili is made from scratch daily in our kitchen commissary. We use fresh ground beef and ground pork from our meat department. Our veggies come straight from our produce department. We use strictly california tomatoes and a special, hand mixed blend of herbs and spices that make it different from any chili you’ve had before! 

5. Add different veggies 

Veggies can change the whole flavor of the burger! Roasted Red Peppers are sweet and smoky, adds a Mediterranean touch. Fried Pickles are crispy and tangy. Caramelized Onions: are sweet and savory. Sun-Dried Tomatoes add a burst of Mediterranean flavor. Grilled Corn is sweet and juicy which adds a summery touch. You can even pick up some of our marinated roasted veggies from prepared foods! There are so many different options!

With labor day coming up, the grills will already be going and it’s a perfect excuse to try one of these new ideas! 

From Our Family To Yours

he summer is winding down, and everyone is getting back into the updated routines of the school days. One challenge that comes with the school year starting again can be packing nutritious and appealing lunches that kids will actually enjoy everyday. If you’re looking to switch things up, but still provide kids with filling lunches, we have some ideas on snacks, sandwiches, and more for you!

Homemade

The Classic Peanut Butter Sandwich with a Twist– add granola

Everyone loves a peanut butter sandwich, it’s a classic and simple go-to for lunch. You can jazz it up by adding some of your favorite granola to it! This unexpected combination has some serious flavor and provides a satisfying crunch in every bite. Plus, both peanut butter and granola are packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats.You can even try adding bananas and granola for even more flavor!

Mini Charcuterie Bites

Think of a sandwich, but undone! Send some sliced lunch meat, sliced cheese, and crackers in your kid’s lunch so they can construct their own bites at lunch

Fruit Kabob

A fun way to put fruit in lunch? Throw it on a skewer! Grab a few of your kid’s favorite fruits and put it on a skewer. 

Use your leftovers

Have leftover pasta and veggies? Turn it into a pasta salad! It can be enjoyed cold, it’s delicious, and you used up some of your leftovers.

Grab and Go

No time to prep? That’s ok! We have 

Cut Fruit

Stop by our cut fruit sections for an ultimate lunch hack. We have small containers of all your favorites that are already cut, cleaned, and ready to eat! The small containers are a great size for a lunch box and all the work is done for you!

Deli Snack Boxes

Deli snack boxes are a fantastic way to enjoy a quick and satisfying meal. Packed with a variety of delicious foods, these boxes offer a convenient and balanced lunch option. There are differently varieties that have different meats, cheeses, crackers, nuts, etc so you can choose what works best for your little eater! Plus these are great for a mom on the go too!

Uncrustables

Uncrustables have become a lunchtime staple for many, especially kids and busy adults. They are convenient, easy to pack, and delicious! 

Here’s to a fantastic school year filled with learning, growth, and delicious lunches!

From Our Family To Yours

At Caputo’s, we love tradition and we are incredibly proud of our Italian heritage. A great way to combine both is with a game of Bocce! We are very excited for our upcoming Angelo & Romana Caputo Foundation Bocce Tournament! This tournament will be a fun day raising money for an incredible organization.

Our family started The Angelo and Romana Caputo Foundation in 2021 shortly after Angelo’s passing as a way to honor our founders. Angelo and Romana’s true pride and passion was family. They loved their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Nothing made them happier than seeing their family together. In addition, they had a unique ability to make people feel at home. Whether staying for a week or an hour, you were made to feel like part of the family and a treasured guest as soon as you walked into the Caputo household. 

With this in mind, we have partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI) who exists so families with hospitalized children can get better together.Their goal of keeping families together during an incredibly difficult and unimaginable time is on brand for the Caputo Family. No family should have to be separated from their children, especially in a time of crisis. Ronald McDonald House allows parents who are far from home to stay close to their hospitalized child and benefit from the comforts of home without incurring hotel and food costs.

As a way to continue to support this beautiful mission, we are hosting our first annual Angelo and Romana Caputo Foundation Bocce Tournament at our Carol Stream store on September 21, 2024.

Bocce ball is a classic game that has been enjoyed by people of all ages for centuries, including Angelo himself. Its simple rules and engaging gameplay make it a perfect choice for casual gatherings, family outings, or competitive tournaments because it is fun for everyone.

Teams of 4 are $100 and each player will receive a t-shirt, lunch, goodie bag, and opportunity for some cash prizes! Each team is guaranteed 2 games. There are cash prizes and more up for grabs! So get your friends and family and secure your team today! Sign up here

From Our Family To Yours

Is there anything more satisfying than a perfectly made sandwich? At Caputo’s, we take immense pride in our international deli. What sets our delis apart is our commitment to authentic and traditional ingredients. You’ll find an array of cheeses, meats, olives, and breads from around the world. 

Our deli is a sandwich maker’s dream and August is National Sandwich and Panini Month, which makes it the perfect time to get in the kitchen and craft your favorite sandwich. It can be something as simple as prosciutto and bocconcini or turkey and American cheese, or you can get creative in combining meats, cheeses, spreads… the options are truly endless when you visit our stores. 

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Each individual component of a sandwich matters because it is what comes together to make the perfect sandwich. In our family, we have a little competition going about who is the best sandwich maker. 

We know everyone has their go-to sandwiches and we want to hear yours! So we are having a little sandwich contest. Here are the details:

Tell us your go-to sandwich recipe by filling out this form. Be sure to include any details your want us to know about your sandwich

We are going to select a submitted recipe each week. Every Friday throughout the month of August, we will make the sandwich, post it to our socials, and give it a try! If your sandwich is selected, you will receive a $15 Caputo’s gift card. Then at the end of the month, one sandwich will be named the winner! This winner will receive a $25 Caputo’s gift card, a Caputo’s T-shirt, and their sandwich featured in our hot foods as the special for a week!

From Our Family To Yours