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What’s Cookin’?

  Are you craving a home-cooked meal, but don’t have the time to do everything by hand? Want something that’s quick, but still healthy for your whole family? We have just what you need! At Caputo’s we have everything you need to make a delicious meal that is healthy and won’t take too much of your time! 

Your first stop on the shopping trip will be in our meat department. 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, mediteranian style, and more. These are all-natural with no preservatives, making it an easy meal solution that is good for you and your family. 

 

You can’t forget sides to go along with the meal! We all know that cutting and cleaning vegetables is a tedious task that is time consuming, so let us do it for you! Chicken is easy to pair with mostly anything, especially vegetables. We have a few different options to give you a shortcut when finishing off your meal. You can check out our cut foods section. Cut foods has vegetables that are already cut and cleaned for you, so you just have to cook them and season them to your liking! You can also browse through the prepared foods section where we have some already cooked and seasoned vegetables with incredible flavor. Some of my favorites that can be paired nicely with any of the pre-marinated chicken options are green beans and zucchini!

When you’re done, check out our liquor section to get a nice bottle of wine so you can begin to unwind after a long day because you deserve it!

From Our Family To Yours

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Easy Peasy, Meyer Lemon Squeezy

Looking for a little bit of warmth in this chilly winter? We’ve got just the thing for you! A sweet twist on a classic, summery fruit– the Meyer lemon!

A Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. Originally they were only in China, but introduced to the United States in the 20th century by Frank Meyer. Meyer lemons are known for their distinct taste. While regular lemons have an acidic taste, Meyer lemons are known for their sweeter taste. Because Meyer lemons are a cross between the citrus mandarin, Meyer lemons have a sweeter taste.

They also have a different appearance. This special lemon has a small, round shape and an orange tint. The skin is thinner and smoother. In addition, the scent has more of a floral scent!  

Their unique taste and look makes Meyer lemons a fun addition to a plate. Whether a drink, a meal, or a dessert, Meyer lemons can take a meal to the next level! People particularly enjoy Meyer lemons in salads because of the sweet and refreshing taste, they can be used to make a great lemon vinaigrette!  There are a number of recipes that call for Meyer lemons or you can use them instead of regular lemons–it’s all up to you! Whether you’re making lemonade, pie, or something else! Check out this list of a bunch of fun recipes to try out with Meyer lemons: https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-meyerlemons16jan16-story.html

These lemons are known as a winter fruit, so they have a limited availability. We are very excited to be getting some from a farm in Phoenix, Arizona.They are organic… and they’re on sale this week! Stop by and get yours, then send us what you did with your Meyer lemons!

 

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Holiday Gift Guide– Caputo’s Edition

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!

 

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Addison– 1991 to Now

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 register
Robertino 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:

 

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How About Them CARAMEL Apples

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:

 

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Carving Out Some Fun!

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!

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Cookies That Will Bake Your Day!

It’s always a nice surprise when you are going to a friend’s house and see a tray of cookies, it’s even better when you see a tray of La Bella Romana cookies!

As with all of our bakery items, our butter cookies are made from scratch daily using only the freshest and simplest ingredients. A butter cookie is a relatively simple treat in order to maintain the flavors of the cookie itself. The foundation of our butter cookies are butter, sugar, and flour.  Our butter cookies are very unique. The buttery flavor comes through in each and every cookie, and creates a sense of nostalgia that will transport you right to enjoying your grandma’s butter cookies around Christmas time. The good thing about our butter cookies is that you don’t have to wait for Christmas, they are readily available in all of our stores! Each cookie is created with the passion our company was founded on.We want the customer to be able to taste the homemade qualities in each cookie that makes every bite tasty and each bite better than the last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our butter cookies have the perfect crunch paired with the perfect softness. The butter makes the cookie melt in your mouth and gives you the ability to really absorb the delicious flavors. We have a variety of butter cookies. Some are chocolate and some are original. They come in different shapes and different toppings. Whether you like nuts, cherries, chocolate chips, or sprinkles– we’ve got you covered! We have cookie trays are sure to be a crowd please at any party of get together! Butter cookies are a perfect, go-to gift! We offer them in pre-packaged containers that make them easy to grab, go, give, and enjoy! If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat that is simple and satisfies, stop by our bakery and pick some up!