The New Year is right around the corner. One thing you may know is that some Italians can be superstitious and like to stay true to their traditions. Many traditions involve some type of food and New Year’s Eve is no exception! Italians like to enjoy hearty foods that will symbolize good fortune and prosperity in the New Year!
The main focus of Italian New Year’s Eve meals is lentils! Lentils have many symbols for this holiday meal. They are round like coins. Lentils are eaten for the hope of prosperity and good luck. In our family, my mother picked up the tradition from her mother and the matriarch of Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, Romana Caputo. Nonna Romana would make lentil soup and say that it was a sign of good luck.
Many people also enjoy sausage or pig trotters to accompany their lentils. Sausage is a fattier meat. This is said to symbolize abundance. The sausage and lentils eaten together is meaning that the New Year will be even better than the last!
Then you finish your meal and ring in the New Year with grapes! At the stroke of midnight, you eat 12 grapes, one for each month. With each stroke of the clock and each grape eaten, you make a wish for that month!
Christmas is less than a week away! Last minute shopping and preparation is being done. Every family has different traditions. Whether traditions revolve around games, presents, or food– there are many different rituals that people look forward to every holiday season. An important tradition in our family and many Italian-American families is the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes gained popularity in America; however, is not known as the same thing in Italy. Each region of Italy has different meals that they prepare forLa Vigilia, or Christmas Eve, so the traditional meals tend to vary region by region. Although the meals are different, they mainly consume of light, meatless dishes. Angelo Caputo grew up in Mola di Bari and would enjoy frittelle (fried dough) and capitone (eel) on Christmas Eve. As with many Italian traditions, they are rooted in faith. Many people speculate that the tradition gets its name because seven is a motif in the bible– the sacraments, days of creation, and more!
The Feast of the Seven Fishes was created based upon the traditional meals enjoyed around Italy during Christmas Eve and stick with the meatless theme. The meal includes a variety of fish, each prepared in different ways. Every family has a different amount of fish types to eat– some eat 7 and some eat 10! There is no limit, it’s however many you and your family want!
We’re here to help you make your Christmas Eve meal and every meal a success! Stop by for all the food you need for your dishes! Whether it’s the Feast of the Seven Fishes or another a different tradition, we have what you need!
We want to hear your Christmas traditions! Comment down below or email your traditions to events@caputomarkets.com
Our 60th year in business is wrapping up, but we’re still celebrating! We have had so much fun with different celebrations during the year and we still have one left! The final Check Out Caputo’s will take place in Addison on December 15th!
Check Out Caputo’s is a fun game we will play with the guests in our checkout lanes! We have had one event at each store and will host our final one from 11am to 3pm on Saturday December 15th. The game is very simple and full of lucky winners!
Here’s how it works:
Every 15 minutes, one lucky check out lane will be drawn at random from a bingo machine. Everyone in the selected lane will win a $5 Caputo’s gift card to use for their next purchase. In addition, they will be given a chance to come up and spin the wheel to win great prizes!
Once up at the wheel, the lucky customers will be asked to pick a number between 1 and 60. If the spin lands on the corresponding even or odd to the number they choose, they win a prize! If the spin lands on the number they pick, they win TWO prizes.
For example, I come up to the wheel after my lane has been drawn at random and pick a number. I choose the number 58. I spin the wheel and it lands on 28. I am still a winner since the wheel landed on an even number and I picked an even number! Because I picked an even number, I get to pick any 1 prize to take home!
The winners will have a variety of prizes to choose from! The prizes include kitchen utensils, panini makers, blenders, storage containers, and much more! Here are some of our lucky winners!
We hope to see you on Saturday! Check out some highlights from our past events here:
With the weather getting colder and the snow approaching, it is not always easy to run to the grocery store and pick up the necessities. If you don’t feel like braving the weather or are so busy and can’t make it to the store, we’ve got you covered! We offer online ordering and delivery with Shop Caputo’s!
We deliver to a wide variety of locations and even offer in store pickup! Check out the zip codes we deliver to here:
At Caputo’s, we always want to ensure the satisfaction of our customers and we go to great lengths to achieve it. When we started 60 years ago, produce was our focus. Though we’ve expanded, we take pride in offering a large variety of only the freshest produce. Our Shop Caputo’s pickers have been trained to select only the freshest and highest quality produce that fit customer preferences! When you shop for produce online, you are able to add instructions or pick the color or ripeness of certain products! We pick the produce just like you would!
We also ensure freshness. All perishable objects are picked the day your order will be delivered! Your deli and meat items will be sliced on the selected delivery day– no pre-packaged items, always fresh! You can customize the cut of your lunch meat and how you want it packaged. This is especially helpful on those Saturday mornings when there’s a wait at the deli counter!
We offer all your favorite items. You can shop all our aisles and even shop our ad! All your favorite items that you shop for are brought right to your door–no lines, no waiting, with the same care you would use in shopping yourself!
Our online shopping website is easy to use and very convenient. We are open Monday-Saturday and will deliver to you same day if you order before 2pm during the week and before 10am on Saturday. We also offer store pick up at any of our locations! Want free delivery! Use the code “grapevine” on your next order and receive free delivery! This code is only available for a limited time.
Thanksgiving is a holiday full of food– turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and much more! But some might say that the most important part of every meal is at the end– the dessert! We have the perfect desserts that are sure to be a hit at your Thanksgiving dinners!
A classic dessert that is a staple in every Thanksgiving meal… PIE! Many people consider pumpkin pie the go-to Thanksgiving dessert. While pumpkin pie is delicious and always compliments a Thanksgiving meal, there are so many options for pies alone! Peach, pecan, cherry, blueberry, and–Angelo Caputo’s favorite and an american classic– apple pie! So many options to satisfy any craving. While you’re picking out the perfect pie, don’t forget the ice cream to go with it!
Our bakery has cooked up some special treats specifically for the holiday! Butter cookies with holiday sprinkles, brownie platters decorated for thanksgiving, cookie cakes decorated for Thanksgiving or for the football game, and turkey cakes! Turkey cakes are individual cakes covered in chocolate and decorated to look like turkeys. They are just as delicious as they are cute!
Along with holiday desserts are the classic desserts. Our bakery has a wide variety of homemade desserts that are perfect for any occasion. Tiramisu, cannoli, pyramid cakes, eclairs and so much more! There are options for everyone to enjoy! In addition to those is our classic twist on cannoli! We offer a cannoli dipper which is a tray with cannoli chips and and cannoli filling in the middle of the tray–perfect for any party!
Let us do the work– stop by to pick up a dessert that will please all of your loved ones! Need some last minute items on Thursday? We’re open and here to help! Our holiday hours are:
As the holidays approach so does gift giving season. Whether you’re part of a gift exchange or you’re just bringing your host a gift, we can help you out! We have the perfect gifts that are simple but show you care!
We have many go-to gifts that are easy and appreciated. One option is a bottle of wine. We have variety of wines that will satisfy any wino’s desire. Red or white, from Italy or from California— we have plenty options to choose from! Another staple for any party is a cookie or pastry tray. All of our cookies and pastries are made from scratch using recipes handed down, many coming from our Matriarch, Romana Caputo. They are easy to bring to a party and something everyone can enjoy.
An antipasto tray is always a crowd pleaser
A classic gift amongst Italians around the holidays is a panettone. Panettone is a sweet bread that Italians enjoy around the holidays. It is a tall, dome-like shaped sweet bread that comes in multiple flavors. The baking process is long and involves curing the dough, then proofing the cake to give it the fluffy texture. There are then extras added into the dry mix like dried candies, raisins, or chocolate chips!
At Caputo’s we have a variety of gift baskets that are perfect for any occasion or gift! We have pre-made gift baskets. The pre-made baskets include the La Bella Basket, La Preziosa Basket, and more. These are different sized fruit baskets– ranging from 10 pieces to 57 pieces. We also have a La Bella Romana Cucina Basket that contains various La Bella Romana products and is perfect for the cook in your life. If you are looking for something different, we do custom baskets! You can shop the store and customize the gift basket to make it perfect for the person receiving it. Some of the custom ones we have created in the past have been chocolate, candy, and more!
No matter who you are giving a gift to, we can help you! The littlest thing can go a long way and can demonstrate how much you care. We want to help you show your loved ones you care!
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the blessings you have and is a time to give back to the community. At Caputo’s, we take great pride in giving back. We have many programs set up that help us and our customers give back to those in need!
One of the foundations we support is called Coats for Kids. Coats for Kids is a foundation dedicated ensuring “that every child who needs a winter coat receives a new one.” Living in the Midwest, we all know the importance of a good coat come winter time. We are faced with tough winters and extreme weather. Coats for Kids allows for people to donate coats to this charity. The coats will then be distributed to families in need. We partner with the Knight of Columbus of the Roselle district for this impactful collection. We will collect the coats and distribute them to the Knights of Columbus who will give them out to the families in need. A donation to this cause supports the basic needs of people who have scarce resources. We have been able to collect over 3,000 coats this year thanks to the generosity of our loyal customers!
The letter we received after St. Angela School received coats from our collection last year
We also offer donation bags. The donation bags are located near the cash registers at each store. The bags contain various types of foods. Each bag has a list of the foods in the bag. You can pick a bag and purchase it. The purchased bags will be collected by food banks, such as the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and handed out to those in need. There are different sized and priced bags available. So far this year, we have been able to provide over 9,000 meals to those in need thanks to your help!
Another initiative we take year round is donating produce to the food banks. Each store partners with a local food bank. These food banks accept our imperfect produce and goods every week. They use these foods to feed the local community members struggling to feed themselves and their families.
Helping the community and giving back to those in need is a big part of who we are at Caputo’s. We are so thankful for our generous customers who support these local missions with us! From our family to yours, have a blessed holiday season!
60 years ago, Angelo Caputo’s Fresh market opened up in Elmwood Park. What started as a little produce stand has since grown to seven locations throughout the suburbs of Chicago. Our second location was in Addison. Our Addison store has undergone many changes– opening in 1991, moving in 2001, and most recently adding a new addition to the store.
In 1991 Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets expanded to its second location in Addison, Illinois. The italian community that populated the city was moving out towards the western suburbs, making Addison the ideal location for our second store. We opened at 240 W Lake St in a 20,000 square foot store, a store that was double the size of our original location in Elmwood Park at the time!
Antonella Caputo Presta, daughter of Angelo Caputo, on the registerRobertino Presta, son-in-law of Angelo Caputo
Ten years later, our lease in that location was expiring. We were faced with a decision of moving or renewing when an opportunity presented itself.
Three blocks west of our original Addison store was a shopping center with a bigger and better location for sale. In 2001, we moved to the location where we are today, 510 Lake St. At 40,000 square feet, the new location was two times the size of the first Addison location. At that time, we had two other stores, the original in Elmwood Park and the 1996 addition of Hanover Park! Hanover Park introduced new features in the store– a bakery and a hot foods section. The new Addison location allowed for us to add those features! The hot foods area would allow people to sit and enjoy a meal together before and after shopping. The bakery highlighted delicious pastries and cookies all made from scratch! The size of the new store allowed us to add these new features and increase the size of all our other departments!
That same feeling of excitement that came in 2001 has recently resurfaced as we decided to give Addison another makeover. Construction began on a new 10,000 square foot addition!
The Caputo family checking out the blueprints prior to construction
The new addition will bring what our customers love from our newest Carol Stream location to Addison as well as some other unique features! We will have an extensive hot foods department, a coffee bar, salsa and guacamole station, a tortilla machine, a bar, sushi made in-house, and more! While we have been working hard to add these new features, we have also been working to update the entire store. The apparences may look different, but we are still the same family owned grocery store looking to bring quality, freshness, and friendliness to you and your families!
We thank all of our loyal customers for your continued patience and for sticking with us through this remodel process. We know the new layouts might change up your shopping routine a little. We hope that you are as excited as we are for these new additions!
For an inside look at all the new changes coming to Addison, check out this video with the Village of Addison:
Fall is in full gear with Halloween being only weeks away. People are prepping for parties, picking costumes, and even beginning Thanksgiving meal prep. It is the time for sweet treats to take center stage as they are a staple in all the upcoming festivities. A treat that has a perfect mix of health and deliciousness are caramel apples!
Caramel apples came about in the 1950s when Dan Walker, a sales representative for Kraft Foods, was experimenting with leftover Halloween candies from the company. It was a pretty simple combo as all he did was melt down some of the remaining caramels and then dip apples in them to create a crunch. He did not know it at the time, but he was creating a dessert that would become a fall favorite. Dan Walker’s simple creation has evolved in many ways. Today, there are many different apples, caramels, chocolates, and toppings that go into making more complex caramel apples.
At Caputo’s, we believe in simple, fresh ingredients. We use this to make our own caramel apples! Our process starts with the apple. We want the juiciest apples for this dessert, so we use honeycrisp apples! Our honeycrisp apples come from farms around the US, usually Michigan or Washington. Honeycrisp apples range in size from medium to large and are characterized by their incredibly sweet flavor with subtle tart underlyings. Honeycrisp apples, sometimes called honey crunch apples, have a reputation of being one of the sweetest apples. The sweetness and subtlety of tartness compliment each other to make a juicy apple, perfect for dunking in caramel! The next step of the caramel apple process is the main event– the caramel! We prepare to dunk the apples by putting a stick in the core of the apple. We take caramel and melt it down, then submerge the apple in caramel. After the apple is properly and fully covered, the toppings get added! We use a variety of toppings like sprinkles, nuts, and chocolate candies. No matter what topping, the caramel apples are the perfect treat. The sweet, crunchy apple mixed with the decadent, soft caramel and the fun variety of toppings makes for happy and satisfied taste buds! Stop by and get one to test out for yourself!
Don’t forget that October 31st is National Caramel Apple Day! Be sure to enjoy a caramel apple while getting ready for trick-or-treating!
Check out this video for an inside look into how we make our caramel apples:
Fall is in the air! As soon as October approaches, people are gearing up for all the fun fall festivities there are to do– hayrides, haunted houses, seasonal drinks, and so much more! A favorite amongst the Angelo Caputo family was picking and carving pumpkins thanks to the unique way our founder and my grandfather, Angelo Caputo, did Halloween!
Our family always had a unique way of carving pumpkins. We wouldn’t carve pictures into the pumpkin or make it a Jack O’Lantern, we had a different way of doing it which involved goodies from around the store! It would start with my grandfather taking us to Caputo’s to pick a pumpkin. There were so many to choose from and Nonno Angelo would help us pick the perfect one and then load it into the cart. After we picked out our pumpkins, we would go around and find different foods and props for our pumpkins to make faces! We would get things like chestnuts or lychee for the eyes, a gourd or a pepper for the nose,smaller pumpkins or corn husks for the ears, hay for the hair, and no pumpkin was complete without a carrot as a pipe! We could come up with any crazy idea and Nonno Angelo would do it for us.
When we got home from picking up our tools and ingredients for our pumpkins, my parents and Nonna Romana were waiting for us with the kitchen ready! The first thing we would do is cut open the top and clean the insides of the pumpkins. We would separate all the seeds and give them to Nonna Romana so that she could roast the pumpkin seeds. We would let them soak in some water so that all the pulp would come off. Then Nonna would salt them, put some olive oil, and put them in the oven! While she was doing this, we would be helping direct the carving! The adults would cut the holes and we would put the food in the proper places. After that, we would draw or paint all the finishing touches on our pumpkins!
We have a fun Halloween tradition, what are yours? Do you have a unique way that you carve pumpkin or think your design is the best? Stop by Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, pick out your perfect pumpkin, then send us a picture of you and your creation! Email your pumpkin carvings to events@caputomarkets.com and the coolest pumpkin will win a $20 gift card to Caputo’s! The finalists will be put to a vote and the winner will be contacted by email. Submit your pictures to events@caputomarkets.com before October 29th at 2pm for a chance to win!
