Fu Wan is a taste of southeast Asia like no other. Crafting chocolate grown, fermented, and entirely produced on the island nation of Taiwan, these nerds (said with admiration, always) take terroir seriously. While planning the menu for Fu Wan Resort, Warren Hsu became acquainted with a collection of local cacao farms and fell deeply in love with the fruit. Chocolate quickly revealed itself as Hsu’s true passion, prompting him to found Fu Wan Chocolate, an independent team and workshop dedicated to the care and craft of this unique and beautiful cacao.

In this new chocolate factory, Hsu and the team introduce regional inclusions and complimentary flavors to this new and special cacao. The team embraces the mad scientist archetype by experimenting with fermentation, aging, and regional tea inclusions. Very recently (January 2024), their Beer Yeast #3 bar was awarded distinction with a silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards, as well as 18 other accolades from that, their first awards show.

As you explore our selection of chocolate at Caputo’s, you know we’re familiar with innovation and novelty. Fu Wan captivates our imaginations with experiments we truly haven’t seen before, and matches them with a drive to keep creating more. We’re excited and honored to host these creative minds on our shelves, and we can’t wait to see what else they have in store.

Shorter days are here, the snow is accumulating, and it’s feeling more like winter with each passing day. Nature is encouraging us to take a reset and frankly, we’re ready for it. It’s times like these that we reach for sturdy mugs filled to the brim with rich, creamy, uniquely flavorful and expressive Drinking Chocolate. Haven’t had a sip of the goods yet? Read/Watch on to learn how to make your own!

Drinking chocolate carries a much deeper history than the humble chocolate bar. For thousands of years, ancient central American tribes have been consuming this ritualistic beverage with spices, masa, and little to no sweetening added. It wasn’t until the age of colonization when chocolate was brought over to Europe, that sugars and fats were introduced to this sacred substance. With ready access to milk and cane sugar, the advent of drinking chocolate as we know it today was born.

The first chocolate bar was produced in the 1840s and we’ve never looked back, but we’ve been drinking it all along. Take a journey with us to find out all the unique ways we can make drinking chocolate today.

Most hot, liquid chocolate can be divided into two distinct categories: Hot Cocoa and Drinking Chocolate.

Hot cocoa is what we remember from childhood. It’s made with cocoa powder, milk powder, sugar, and is by far the easiest to make. It drinks the thinnest and expresses the least terroir (a sense of place through flavor), but will always transport you back to days when the snow was regularly taller than your view of the world. Goodnow Farms makes an excellent selection of cocoas that will leave you nostalgic while sending your tastebuds around the world.

Drinking chocolate is defined in its name: chocolate broken down for ease of emulsification. Whether it’s shredded, ground, chopped, or otherwise prepared, these selections are prepared to melt and dissolve in whatever milk, water, or alternative you’re using as a base. Ritual Chocolate makes a delicious range of single origin drinking chocolates that are reflective of the same regions their bars come from.

Both styles prioritize less time whisking over your stove in favor of more time getting cozy in your PJs with a cup of the good stuff. Taste for beverages that express the same as your favorite single origin chocolate bars, dial your prep with our tips below, and let yourself slip into the indulgence.

The beauty of drinking chocolate is that with enough determination, you can make any chocolate deliciously drinkable. Purpose made mixes (hot cocoa, drinking chocolate) are easiest, coarse ground bars (think Taza, Cuna de Piedra, and Sabadi) involve a bit more labor, and with enough elbow grease, any chocolate can be whipped to liquid luxury. Whichever difficulty level you choose here, any technique below will work. With increasing levels of difficulty come richer levels of texture, flavor, and overall enjoyment.

Technique 1: Frothing
Have a milk steamer or an electric frother? You’re in luck and your drinking chocolate is almost ready. Combine your milk, water, or alternative, blitz with your magic wand until frothy and emulsified, and settle into your coziest chair to indulge. While this technique will result in a well combined drink, it may quickly lose its body and become thin again. Doubtlessly delicious, but not nearly as viscous and satisfying as the other options below.

Technique 2: Whisking
Spoons, forks, knives, whisks, or whatever other cutlery you have laying around will always work in a pinch. Simply add chocolate to your warmed milk, water, or alterative and whisk away until the mixture is thick, foamy, and no chunks remain. This may produce less foam than frothing, but the thicker body will last longer for consistently textured sips throughout.

Technique 3: Molinillo
This ancient tool has been used to make drinking chocolate for hundreds of years. It’s tried, tested, and true. You’ll need an oversized vessel to hold your chocolate and your liquid, unless you really WANT to make a big mess (we won’t yuck your yum). Twisting the molinillo between your hands will naturally froth the entire drink at once, both emulsifying and thickening the body to your desired consistency. This is the go-to technique if you’re using a chocolate bar, and can even create a drink thick enough to add a shot or two of booze without fret.

A note on alt milks: Oat mixes well, almond has more texture, soy will be watery, and water still works but won’t be as thick. Use what you’d like; it’s chocolate and it’s going to be tasty no matter how you mix it!

For as long as we’ve had multiple branches, we’ve heard the hunger for competition. Each veteran behind the line thinks they can make the fastest, prettiest, most well executed sandwich. Each seasoned monger stakes a claim on their ability to carve the perfect cheese slice. When your crew kicks butt, they also want to kick each others’. Who are we to discourage a little healthy contest?

When the gloves were thrown down, six Olympic teams spanned the company: Downtown, 15th, Holladay, Online, Warehouse, and Admin. Rivalries were fierce between the brick-and-mortar branches, but everyone came to play. From a Cookie Discuss, a Hot Soup Dash, to the inception itself of Quickest Sando, every team was given ample opportunity to earn their country, er, crew pride.

We had so much fun, but it wasn’t really about how fast teams run or how far they throw a heavy tomato can. Caputo’s Deli Olympics are about our core values and aspirations. This event was a showcase on our drive to always strive for excellence in welcoming patrons with warmth, offering legendary customer service, connecting our community with world-class products, and promoting responsible stewardship of the Earth.

Best Cheese Cut:

With the cheese selection and required weight unannounced until the gun, the field of six was level and on the edges of their knives. An unexpectedly common choice of Grotte Caputo, requested to be cut at the hard-to-perfect 1/3 lb, left many novices out of their element. Slices were judged on speed, proximity to weight, and presentation in wrapping. Our OG deli-back Matt Caputo cut fast, accurate, and pretty to walk away with the gold.

1. Matt (standing in for 15th)
2. Marta (Downtown)
3. Danger (Online)

Best Written Response:

No matter our department, we’re all in the business of customer service. Knowing how to kindly answer an unhappy customer is a skill we all have in spades, but a written response can present a new bag of challenges. Responses were judged on the number of issues addressed, and calm, yet personal manners. At the end of the painfully brief five minutes, Online Customer Service pro Reana had this one in the bag.

1. Reana (Online)
2. Austin (Holladay)
3. Alicia (Downtown)

DiNapoli Shot Put:

When creating Track & Field style events for our Olympics, the Shot Put was an obvious choice. Perhaps even more obvious was the choice of a #10 (6.5lb) can of DiNapoli Tomatoes as the object to be thrown. Scored on distance traveled from the line, Matt Caputo flexed his Crossfit training to claim another gold. We painted the park tomato red, but carry on dear reader, we had plans to use that mess.

1. Matt (Downtown)
2. Donny (Admin)
3. Sante (Holladay)

“Hot” Soup Fifty Meter Dash:

Ah yes, those plans I mentioned for the crumpled cans above? Waste not, want not; we put that carnage to good use. Deli soup containers topped up to (and sometimes over) the brim were handed to our eager dashers before they embarked across the same field. First across the line (with penalties for spillage) took gold, with Danger earning his name for a shameless, smooth sprint through the finish and a chug off the top to celebrate.

1. Danger (Online)
2. Ryan (Warehouse)
3. Sarah (Downtown)

Best Composed Bite

I got excited and already wrote a whole blog post with accompanying recipes and bundles for this one… but here’s the gist. Using only ingredients found on our market shelves or in our deli stock, contestants were given fifteen minutes to create their most captivating canape. Recipes ranged from fishy drinks to elevated s’mores, and Fern took it with Michelin praise.

1. Fern (Holladay)
2. Ryan (Warehouse)
3. Alicia (Downtown)

Salami Relay:

What’s in a name? A big ol’ stick of Creminelli calabrese (still wrapped, thankfully) passed as a baton between runners for a lap around the park. The only event which incurred an injury (our poor online team BLED for bronze), surely put on a show. Judged, as you might expect, on time. Holladay had the hop, what can we say?

1. Holladay
2. Downtown
3. Online

Best Packed Box:

This test was simple. Prepare a package for the absolute worst a grumpy delivery driver on the wrong day could do. Competitors collected items from the market and packed them as quickly as possible before surrendering their work for judgment from a two story drop to the parking lot. Recovered parcels were judged on accuracy of items pulled and lack of damage from the drop. Despite an initial setback (his pre-packed box got swiped), Preston showed how our warehouse gets it done.

1. Preston (Warehouse)
2. Alicia (Downtown)
3. Chelsea (Admin)

Cookie Discus:

If you haven’t yet had the privilege of enjoying our house made chocolate chip cookies, I would encourage you to change that. We’re well known for, and damn proud of them. It was only fitting to have pastry chef Marian McKenney bake off bigger-than-your-face versions to flick across a field as far as they would fly. Preston landed his cookie edge side down and cooked the competition with a roll into first.

1. Preston (Warehouse)
2. Mason (Admin)
3. Frankie (Downtown)

Caputo’s Trivia:

We all know niche bits of company history, but it should be no surprise that our Admin team walked away with this one handily. Adri has been with the Caputos since they created an Admin department, and her speed to the buzzer was simply unmatched.

1. Admin
2. Online
3. Downtown

Quickest Sando:

The fight that started it all. A battle for the ages and one that didn’t shake out easily. After a first round tie between Marian of Holladay and Katie of Downtown, the redo was fast, furious, and just a little too messy. With judgment placed on both time and cleanliness, Marian walked away with the gold for her speed and grace.

1. Marian (Holladay)
2. Katie (Downtown)
3. Harrison (Online)

Our Olympic Deli Team represents a relentless pursuit of excellence and constant improvement. We talk a big game, and we support each other along the way to hold our core values inherent. Thank you for supporting and joining us in setting and reaching for our lofty goals.

Awards elation for the gold

I could (and will) write an entire blog about the inaugural Caputo’s Deli Olympics, but for the sake of showing off our talented food people and making y’all drool, we’re going to start off with a highlight of the Best Bites competition. For this test, contestants were given 15 minutes to create a composed bite using only ingredients from our market shelves and deli pantry. The shopping was fast, the prep was furious, and the bites were beautifully plated with only a little sweat shed on the side.

Judges Judging

With teams representing each brick and mortar Caputo’s, Online, Admin, and Warehouse, we had a diverse set of faces working hard behind the line. Our judges, Matt and Yelena Caputo, have an intimate knowledge of the ingredients contestants had access to. At the end of the day, the winners were clear and undisputed, with praise for the gold putting it in line with a “dessert one would expect to find at a Michelin-starred restaurant.” While we can’t share all the bites that came across the judging table, we do want to share the highlights, and present the Bronze, Silver, and Gold with their stories below:

🥇Gold: Caputo’s Holladay🥇

Spicy Citrus S’more

By Fern DeFrance

Fern has been with Caputo’s for less than a year, but she’s been with food her entire life. Some kids want to grow up to be an astronaut. Elementary school Fern wanted to be a baker. Now a full-time online student studying photography and creative writing at Seattle University, she keeps her passion for food alive behind the line at Caputo’s Holladay. Her s’more was inspired by the Chili Beak Citrus Habanero Caramel, and came full circle with her manager, Austin, suggesting the use of a blow torch.

Judges Corner: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This bite could have been the highlight of a meal at a 3 Michelin Star restaurant! Truly transcendent.” 

INGREDIENTS (Available as a Bundle!)

• Rustic Bakery Vanilla Biscuit
• San Giuliano Orange Slices in Syrup
• Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
• Caputo’s Wild Tranquilidad by Ritual Chocolate
• Markham & Fitz Marshmallow
• Bees Brothers Honey Caramel
• Basil

ASSEMBLY

1. Drizzle syrup from San Giuliano Orange Slices and a few drops of Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce on top of Rustic Bakery Vanilla Biscuit
2. Top smothered biscuit with square of Caputo’s Wild Tranquilidad Chocolate and melt with blow torch
3. Top melted chocolate with M&F Marshmallow and melt with blow torch
4. Add a couple drops of Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce to top of melted marshmallow
5. Cover marshmallow with piece of caramel and melt with blow torch until dripping
6. Place orange slice into melted caramel and garnish with small piece of basil

🥈Silver: Caputo’s Warehouse🥈

Pan Con Tomate

By Ryan Terrio

With no time for planning or previous knowledge he would be competing, Ryan played straight to the hearts of the judges. Having worked in food his whole professional life, Ryan understands the importance of simplicity. His bite is a salute to this ethos as well as a callback to the importance of conservas culture.

Judges Corner: “Having just returned from Spain, this would have been a highlight at even the most prestigious tapas bar. Classic flavors and expert execution. The perfectly toasted bread did become a bit soggy in the middle by the time we tasted it, but had it been eaten immediately this would have been absolutely perfect.”

INGREDIENTS (Available as a Bundle!)

• Ciabatta (toasted on one side in olive oil)
• Tomato (shredded on box grater)
• Onion (finely diced)
• JOSE Gourmet Olive Oil with Piri-Piri
• Gilles Hervy Fleur de Sel
• Espinaler Premium Sardines
• Parsley

ASSEMBLY

1. Toast ciabatta in JOSE EVOO on one side. You’re going for crispy – not crunchy, not dry.
2. While ciabatta is toasting, prep your veggies. Finely dice your onion and shred your tomato on the medium holes of a box grater.
3. Plate sardines with some oil directly onto the toasted side of ciabatta. Top with prepped onion and tomato. Garnish with parsley and attempt to save some to share.

🥉Bronze: Caputo’s Downtown🥉

Throw it on a Cracker

by Alicia Konzen

As the market manager of Caputo’s Downtown, Alicia is deeply steeped in the products on our shelves. In her own words, she is “lazy and likes to throw stuff together on crackers.” Luckily, she knows the right stuff to throw, and her bite was nothing short of divine. She even added arugula because “it’s the Olympics and we had to make it fancy!”

Judges Corner: “The creamy tang of the mild buffalo cheese paired very well with the cinnamon in that vegan salami and the hard crunch of the cracker/crisp was a great delivery device. The bitters added an array of botanical aromas and the bitterness helping bring complexity and balance. Given the bitterness from the cocktail bitters, it might have been better without the arugula, mainly because of texture mismatch, but overall this was a delicious bite.”

INGREDIENTS (Available as a Bundle!)

• Rustic Bakery Artisan Crisps with Apricot, Pistachio, and Brandy
• Casatica di Bufala
• Hellenic Farms Vegan Fig & Pistachio Salami
• Arugula
• Dashfire Vintage Orange Bourbon Barrel Aged Bitters

ASSEMBLY

1. Place cracker on plate. Top with Casatica, salumi, and a couple dashes of bitters. Finish with a leaf of fresh arugula (to make it fancy).

Nettle Meadow Farm

Upstate New York has no shortage of picturesque lakes, verdant pastures, and sprawling, craggy hills of green. This lush region presents boundless opportunities to host a healthy, happy, and wholesome family of animals in its folds. These reasons among many more attracted Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan – co-owners, partners, and founders of Nettle Meadow – to Thurman, NY in 2005. Leaving successful careers in law to prioritize their animals and cheese making side-hustle (originally started in 1990), the two purchased their farm and drove across the country from Oakland, CA to start Nettle Meadow anew.

Meet Crabcake

Lorraine and Sheila wasted no time after finishing their 3000 mile trek across the country. “We often say that the sanctuary was developed on day one,” Sheila remembers. Most of their already small herd had developed medical conditions that immediately removed them from production stock. First order of business quickly became converting one of the barns into a retirement home for these goats. Over the years, this retirement home has grown to a village, now housing over 150 creatures who are differently abled, recovering from neglect or malnourishment, or retired from the Nettle Meadow production herd. The Kemp Animal Sanctuary showcases a core ethos of Nettle Meadow Farms: care for their animals above all else. Past the sanctuary and onto the pasture, this ethos holds strong – happy animals make delicious milk, and the artisans at Nettle Meadow churn that cream to gold.

Cheese on Cheese

Whether that gold takes shape as a triple-cream goat’s milk button, a sheep’s milk crottin, or a truffle studded tomme, it holds unique flavors imparted by the landscape on which these animals are raised. Nettle Meadow is more than a moniker – stinging nettles line the pastures where the goats graze. In addition to raspberry leaf, garlic, and wild growing herbs fed to all animals on the farm, the goats aren’t bothered by the nettles’ sting and consume them regularly. We love tasting terroir – a sense of place – and Nettle Meadow lets the flavors of upstate New York shine through with pride.

Kunik

Nettle Meadow isn’t new to our cheese case at Caputo’s. Their flagship cheese, Kunik, recently recognized as one of the 20 best in the world, has been a not-so-secret staff favorite here for years. As we’ve met more of their unique treasures, we’ve only fallen harder for the farm. You can now find beer washed kunik, lavender infused fromage blanc, and maple sweetened treats waiting in the eager hands of our mongers. Each cheese is handmade with attention to detail, thoughtful local inclusions, and a deep loving care for the herd.

Kemp Sanctuary Friends

From our overlap of ethos to our mutual appreciation for thoughtful, local ingredient inclusions, this is a partnership we’re proud to share. We hope you’ll join us in enjoying these handcrafted specialties soon.

Stinky Ewe

Sappy Ewe

Very Adorable Ewe

Salame Toscano

The history of salumi is long, storied, and speckled with delicious spores of healthy molds. Salumi’s origins center around the preservation of meat for future consumption. Italian salumi sprang up from a need to preserve primarily pork and beef, and introduced new ingredients based on the given region where it was produced. As salumi continued to grow in popularity, tradition took hold and each region defined its own style.

Salame Cotto

Currently, most salumi producers stick to the classics. They’re timeless, tasty, and well established enough that large, commercial operations know how to cut corners without most of the market batting an eye. Old-world or imitated, we all love a classic prosciutto, know the smoky salt of speck, and have high expectations when finocchiona is on the menu. These classic cuts are made to match our expectations, but many may have lost their claim to regionality and old-world production along the way.

Chris Eley

Enter Smoking Goose. Chris Eley, owner and head butcher, wanted to re-introduce old-world techniques with a new-world flair for flavor. Chris founded Smoking Goose with a mission to bring American made salumi back to, well, America. When looking through the selection of meats from Smoking Goose, you’ll notice a distinct lack of old-world recipes. Chris strives to apply the regional values at the heart and history of salumi right back into his hometown and all it has to offer.

Delaware Fireball

Working with farmers in Indiana and neighboring states who raise their animals as nature intended, with inclusions and ingredients inspired by and foraged for in the surrounding landscape, Smoking Goose is American salumi at its core. Chris and the Goose gang still seam butcher by hand and cure without compound nitrates to honor old world craft, while inspiring with bold and regional new world flavors.

Dodge City Salame

From Duck Prosciutto to a spicy, smoked, fermented crepinette called the Delaware Fireball, the selection produced by Smoking Goose has range in both style and taste. Their unwavering commitment to quality, flavor, and humane, sustainable farm partners has earned them accolades and awards from Good Food Awards, James Beard, the New York Times, and many more. We’re excited to host them in our case and can’t wait for you to come try some soon.