Author: Rosella Presta

2019 will mark our 61st year in business. 2018 was a milestone year for us that allowed us to look back on all the memories we have created over the years. What started as an Italian immigrant looking to live out the American Dream has flourished into 7 stores throughout the Chicagoland area. At our core, we are a family and are lucky enough to now have 4 generations of Caputos! As a family owned and operated business, we strive to bring the healthiest and freshest products to you and your family.

Caputo’s was opened in 1958 by my grandfather, Angelo Caputo. He was born in Mola di Bari, Italy and immigrated to America at the age of 18. To gain entry into the country, he enlisted in the US Army. One thing about my grandpa, that is still true to this day, is that he is a determined man. He has the ability to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to, no matter what obstacles stand in his way. It was that state of mind that got him to where he is today. He believed in himself and never settled. He came to America with a goal– make something of himself and live out the American Dream. He put everything he had towards accomplishing his goal and his hard work paid off. In 1958, on the corner of Harlem and Wrightwood in Elmwood Park, Angelo opened Caputo’s New Farm Produce. That is what started it all.

  

 

To me, Angelo is synonymous with Romana. Angelo fell in love with Romana at a young age when he was still in Italy and their love story is very special. My grandpa would hang out in places just to catch a glimpse of my grandmother. He was without her for a while when he moved to America, but Romana was always on his mind. When he was in the army, he asked for a leave and went straight back to Mola di Bari to find out if Romana was still in love with him. A few weeks later, in 1956, they were married! They shared a beautiful story together. In 1984, they were back in Italy visiting family and looking at product manufacturers in hopes of launching a private label. When thinking of a name for this upcoming private label, Angelo decided this was the perfect opportunity to honor the beauty of his wife. He named the new brand, La Bella Romana which translates to The Beautiful Romana. Anyone who knew my grandmother knew that she was the most incredible woman. She had a heart bigger than anyone could imagine. She was selfless, humble, and kind. She was the best cook. She was beautiful inside and out. Romana lost a battle with cancer in 2004, but her memory and legacy live on.

  

While Angelo is retired, you can usually find him drinking an espressino or fixing a produce display. He left the business in the hands of his son-in-law, Robertino, and daughter, Antonella. My parents met when my father started working at Caputo’s at a young age. My siblings and I are very fortunate to have such hard working and dedicated role models in our lives.

    

We want to thank our extended family of customers for their loyalty throughout the past 60 years and we look forward to continuing to make more memories in the years to come!

From Our Family To Yours

 

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Valentine’s Day dates back to the 400s when Romans would celebrate Lupercalia, a festival to celebrate the beginning of Spring. It was later named Valentine’s Day when Roman priest, Valentine, died on February 14 and was later canonized and became St. Valentine. Legend has it that while in prison, St. Valentine would write love letters to his jailor’s daughter and sign it “Your Valentine.” He became the patron saint of lovers and so people began to celebrate Valentine’s Day in his honor. February 14th is known as the day to spend time with your loved ones and show them you care. There are many little things that can help you show someone that you’re thinking of them.

An easy reminder of your feelings is flowers! With all the different bouquets and arrangements, it is easy to find the one that fits your loved ones perfectly. Whether you want to order an arrangement or just pick up a bouquet, we have just what you need! Flowers are proven to release happy chemicals into the brain because the vibrant colors, the fragrance, and the overall look can bring about a sense of joy. Flowers are a great way to spread love. We have a wide selection of flowers at each store. You can also call Naperville, South Elgin, or Carol Stream to place a custom order!

If your Valentine has a sweet tooth, we’ve got just the thing for you! Our bakery has a variety of Valentine’s Day sweets! We have special heart shaped sugar cookies and butter cookies decorated with pink sprinkles. We have chocolate covered pretzels and delicious chocolate covered strawberries. We also have special, heart shaped cannoli cake or a cookie cake. Nothing quite says “I love you” like a sweet from our La Bella Romana Bakery!

If you plan on having a quiet dinner at home to celebrate, we have what you need to make a simple and tasty meal. Pick up one of our chef kits for an easy Valentine’s Day meal. We have 5 different meals– all fresh ingredients, vacuum sealed and packed in a box for your convenience. Slow cooker pot roast, asian style salmon, and more delicious meals to cook for your special someone on Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget to stop by our liquor department to pick up the perfect wine to compliment your meal.

We hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love and happiness ❤️

From Our Family To Yours

Being a family business committed to bringing the freshest and highest quality products to our customers, we strive to source from local businesses. One area where we do this is in our meat department. Just a few hours west of Chicago is a small packaging facility, Iowa Premium!

Iowa Premium is a company in Tama, Iowa who sources cattle from local, family raised farms. The processes are all in accordance with and monitored by the USDA, making it a USDA Choice brand, as Iowa Premium sources locally. Most of the cattle come from within a 150 mile radius of the headquarters in Tama. They look for farms that raise cattle with an emphasis on sustainability and responsibility that adhere to the nationally recognized Beef Quality Assurance guidelines. The farm areas have rich soil, good climate, and average rainfall. These conditions result in high quality beef.

Iowa Premium uses black angus, corn-fed cattle. These qualities result in a unique flavor and easy marbling. Marbling is the white streaks in a lean piece of meat. The degree of marbling is a great indicator of flavor of the meat.  Many people follow the general rule that the more marbling, the better piece of meat. The cattle is corn-fed in order to create that rich, distinctive flavor that is unmatched by other brands. This adds to the degree of marbling and the quality of the meat!

You can get Iowa Premium exclusively at Caputo’s in the Chicagoland area. Stop by one of our locations to pick up some Iowa Premium and taste the quality! You can also pick up a recipe card to learn how to make a garlic herb crusted roast beef!

Also, stop by Addison on 1/25 from 12pm-4pm to meet an Iowa Premium representative who can answer your questions and help you get a Caputo’s gift card!

Check out http://www.iowapremium.com to learn more!

From Our Family To Yours

In late October of 2018 the new 10,000 square foot addition of our Addison store officially opened! This new addition brought what our customers love from our Carol Stream location to Addison as well as some other unique features! We expanded our hot foods department, added a coffee bar and a bar, highlight our fresh salsa and fresh guacamole, included a tortilla machine with fresh tortillas made daily, and much more! We are so excited about all of these new features and want you to share in our excitement! We’ve got some fun upcoming events to celebrate our re-grand opening of Addison!

One event will be a menu tasting! We will be sampling appetizers from our catering menu! This event will take place on January 12th from 11am-2pm then again later that day from 4pm-7pm. This event will take place again on February 2nd from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm  to 7pm. This complimentary tasting will also include wine samples from some premium brands!

 

Our next event will take place on January 19th, again from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm to 7pm. This event is a pasta demo. Our chef will be preparing orecchiette d’estate. This demo will feature orecchiette pasta, an ear shaped pasta that is a traditional type of pasta in Mola di Bari,  Angelo’s hometown. L’estate means summer in Italian so orecchiette d’estate (orecchiette of summer) is a very light dish. It is prepared with fresh vegetables, our homemade Italian Sausage, and our La Bella Romana homemade marinara sauce. Delicious year round!

As food is a big part of our business and our new addition included a large expansion of our hot foods, we will be having $1 mini sausage sandwiches with sweet peppers!  This special will take place on January 26th from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm to 7pm. Our homemade sausage comes from an old-world recipe that has been perfected throughout the years. From the making of our sausage to the spices, it is all homemade and mouth-wateringly delicious!

We are thrilled about the new additions to our Addison store! We thank all of our loyal customers for their continued support throughout the remodel! We look forward to celebrating with you during these events and more upcoming events!

 

From Our Family To Yours