It’s here! Finally! GREEK WEEK!

But, why?

Well,  I’m half Greek. My grandmother (yiayia) arrived in SLC in 1948 and never learned to speak English. Out of necessity, she planted a diverse urban farm, often with seeds and starts she brought from Greece. To this day, it is the flavors and aromas of her recipes that inform which products adorn Caputo’s shelves. Recently, our whole Caputo clan embarked on a trip to various parts of Greece, including our ancestral home on the island of Crete. This trip and yiayia’s memory are the inspiration for the creation of our Greek Catalog, highlighting foods and traditions of this ancient and beautiful culture.

Take a look at our inspiring travel for yourself:

Greece 2018 family vaca starts now! Wish we could bottle their excitement.

My big fat Greek wedding, Athenian style.

First beach day in Crete! Obsessed with Elafonisi’s crystal waters.

Stomping around Old Town Chania. Χανιά – Παλιό Λιμάνι

Dining at Dounias in the mountains high above Chania, Crete where the Slow Food movement is nothing new to the region but instead a continuation of the traditional Greek lifestyle and cuisine.

Nestled in the mountains an hour outside of Chania, this taverna went so far and beyond rustic cuisine. The owners’ (husband and wife duo) little 2 yo boy sat at our table and ate snails from our plates. Kitchen tour, wood fire cooking only, cheese making before our eyes. And that bread. Highlight of the trip

Chania Old Town Port

Throwing it back to Athens. Acropolis | Lycabettus Hill | Plaka

Visited Yiayia’s mother’s birthplace in the village of Atsipopoulo, just outside of Rethymno. Met with neighbors who knew Polymnia and welcomed us with gifts and sweets. ❤️

Rockin’ Rethymno. Réthymno, Rethimni, Greece

For the last leg of our trip, we picked a place we’ve never been, mostly because of the beach pics. Island in the Ionian, famous for the Shipwreck Navagio beach and blue caves. Evening views from top were way more impressive than daytime with the crowds.

We stayed in a remote area up north (apparently, the south is a bit of a party town). Loved the water, the countryside and the people here. They don’t get American tourists often and were so kind.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the newest inclusion ingredients from a Singaporean bean to bar craft chocolate maker.

I just found Fossa‘s new chocolate bars with shrimp and bonito and another with sake. Are they for real???

A:

PSST! Want to know more? Join us at an Intro to Fine Chocolate class!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the true meaning of bean to bar or craft chocolate.

Q: I just found some expired craft chocolate bars hidden beneath the rest of my chocolate stash and the best by date is from 4 years ago!  What are your thoughts on still consuming these? I’d hate to throw them away. 

A: I have an insane amount of cupboard space dedicated to chocolate, so old, random chocolate is a constant issue for me. Unless there are nuts or other inclusion that could go stale, there’s no need to throw them away. There is not enough water activity in chocolate for it to rot and as it is fully oxidized (part of the reason it’s brown) there are no issues with it being stale. At worst, it may have picked up the flavor of the fridge or lost some of its fruity vibrancy.

PSST! Want to know more? Join us at an Intro to Fine Chocolate class!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

Chocophiles, meet Luisa Abram, one of the newest chocolate brands added to our burgeoning selection of craft chocolate. Luisa Abram is a family owned Brazilian chocolate company using beans only from Amazon rainforest. The focus is on chocolate from remote, nearly untouched areas of the Amazon.

Some of you die hard chocolate fans and Chocolate Society members may know about Luisa Abram by now, and maybe have even heard the story about the extremes we went through to import this chocolate. But it was an ordinary email exchange with Luisa’s father, Andre, that really stood out to me that I wanted to share. This snip-it provides invaluable insight into Luisa Abram’s brand and ethos as chocolate makers.

“We just came back from a visit to the families that ferment the cocoa for our red bars. They are located on the Lower Amazon Basin close to the Atlantic. We saw and heard their enthusiasm with our presence and more important, our commitment to buy the cocoa they collect in the Forest near by. The impact of this relation in their lives is palpable, meaningful. We went there to help them produce more beans and give feedback about the beans we buy and how to improve them. Their main source of income comes from the açaí trade, which is also found in the forest close by. Açai is the main crop in the region and very few families ferment cocoa, actually only 6 families, the ones we deal with.

As for the Jari bars, they come from a community that collect Brazil nuts. On their way to the trees, as a side note, they are majestic ones really tall and beautiful, they found cocoa trees as well. The trip to this origin is a tough one. The Jari river has a lot of waterfalls that make the way up very difficult. The situation of this origin is very similar to the one I described above. The more the locals can get from what the forest has to offer, the better off they become and the more protected the Forest will be!!

Next week, we are off to the Amazon again. This time we will go to the Juruá river near the border with Peru. Dan O’Doherty will join us there.” – Feb 3, 2018

There is quite frankly nothing better than this going on in the world of cacao and chocolate right now. Pure gold.

Find Luisa Abram’s chocolate here.

It’s been twenty years since Tony Caputo opened the doors here at our flagship location in downtown Salt Lake City, in a neighborhood with a rich history of Greek and Italian culture. Over the years, we’ve experienced the many ups and downs of small business ownership, but we’re proud to hear from our customers how much we mean to Salt Lake’s thriving food scene. We’ve done so by remaining committed to our deep, abiding love for great food, and sharing that love with the enthusiastic community we’re a part of. As we looked back at the last twenty years and contemplated the road ahead, we decided it was time to breathe new life into the Caputo’s brand with a fresh new look.

Inspired by the art of Utah artist Dan Christofferson, whose distinct style is rooted in symbolism and bold graphics, we began a further conversation about the Caputo’s brand and asked Dan to create a new look that seamlessly integrates our history and motivations with our vision for what lies ahead. Central to this new look is the three-pointed crown. The crown is a powerful icon that represents our core philosophy, with its three points embodying the past, present, and future of Caputo’s. These three pillars serve as symbols of our heritage, our expertise, and our trailblazing spirit.

Over the years our purpose has become increasingly clear. We know we have a responsibility to preserve and protect food items of unique provenance. In the face of an increasingly homogenized, mass-produced, and genetically engineered agricultural system, we continue to fight for time-tested culinary traditions, for artisan spirit, and for authentic flavor. It’s our true passion, a passion that was first instilled in me by my yiayia (Greek for grandmother), who kept an urban garden WAY before it was cool to grow your own food. From that small backyard plot, vibrant and ethereal smells wafted through her small home in the summer, enveloping my senses and giving me the first glimpse into the true essence of flavor.

Those early sensory experiences inspire a question we ask ourselves all the time: what is it that gives Old World flavors their particular allure? We call it terroir. It’s that special sense of place found in the aromas, the textures, and the tastes that says unabashedly: “this comes from somewhere.” Not from a factory, not from a lab, but from the land. Today, it’s our mission to champion those products with deep ties to the unique places they come from, whether it’s Utah farmstead goat cheese or Venezuelan single origin chocolate, because those special products tell the stories of where they come from with every mouth-watering bite.

We know that food is much more than mere sustenance; culinary traditions help make up the fabric of our various cultures and upbringings, and food has always been an essential part of the Caputo family. After coming to the United States from Greece and Italy, the Caputos owned and operated a small market on Salt Lake’s west side, which happened to be home to Utah’s very first refrigerated deli case. One could say that my dad’s visits to that little market as a kid, where he would get treats from his aunts who kept shop, served as the original spark of what would eventually become our beloved market & deli.

Now, the torch has been passed to me, and I feel it is important to carry on the tradition and constantly re-imagine what it means to be a purveyor of fine foods in the modern age. Caputo’s has always been a family affair, from my dad, uncles, cousins and now my amazing wife Yelena, to the incredible crew that has been with us for so many years, who we consider part of the family. This is why the wonderful food community here in Salt Lake, and our loyal supporters beyond, trust our expertise: because it’s been passed down from generation to generation. As we look to the future with a brash independent spirit, our new look, and renewed enthusiasm for great food, we can’t help but feel only one thing: our most delicious days are surely yet to come.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the true meaning of bean to bar or craft chocolate.

Q: How would you define bean-to-bar chocolate and what sort of flavors can we expect from craft chocolate? Do you recommend any coffee and chocolate pairings?

A: This is an important and somewhat nebulous terminology that is often abused. My definition is fairly straight forward. To be bean to bar the chocolate bar must be produced from raw cacao beans all the way through each production step at a factory owned by the brand in question.

Q: How is it different from the mass produced chocolate we all grew up eating?

A: Bean to bar should not necessarily be equated to good. There are more bean to bar chocolate makers producing terrible product than there are making great chocolate. Sure most of the elite brands are bean to bar, but not all. Bean to bar should simply indicate you are talking to the artist in the flesh. Doesn’t mean you will like their art. Unfortunately, there are so many brands that lie or at the very least stretch the truth about their bean to bar status. So many.

What I think you are trying to get at with what makes bean to bar chocolate better than big chocolate we all grew up with is this: it should be about highlighting cacao beans of excellent provenance. Big producers do not. They use very poor beans and then use techniques (“dark” roast aka burned) and ingredients (too much extra cocoa butter and loads of vanilla) to create a flavor, rather than coaxing the flavor intrinsic to the beans out.

Just like wine is about honoring very special grapes grown in very special areas, so is chocolate with cacao beans. Most large chocolate producers make what I like to refer to as “vanilla flavored candy.” Despite meeting certain technicalities of being called dark chocolate, I think it should be illegal to call it the same as what most bean to bar chocolate makers are doing.

Q: Do you recommend any coffee and chocolate pairings?

A: Absolutely. My primary recommendation is do not pair a coffee made with specialty beans and roasted responsibly with “vanilla flavored candy.” Likewise, do not pair chocolate made with excellent cacao with coffee exhibiting symptoms of having been roasted on the surface of the sun. Beyond this, I do have some experience, but need to conduct more research! I will say since the two are such a natural fit the results of using my rule of thumb regarding matching the quality of the two have always been really enjoyable.

PSST! Want to know more? Join us at an Intro to Fine Chocolate class!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the mislabelling of EVOO found in many grocery stores.

Q: I heard that most Extra Virgin Olive Oils found in grocery stores are mislabeled. How so?

A: Last week, 60 Minutes had a big exposé on how 70 to 80% of the olive oils found in U.S. grocery stores are mislabeled, meaning they are not real Extra Virgin grade.

Although it was “breaking news,” this is not new news. Tom Mueller first broke this story in a 2007 New Yorker article titled “Slippery Business.” But even before then, we knew something was not right in the industry. We were seeing incredibly vibrant-green colors in olive oils that tasted flat, stale, and worse.

After years and years of blind taste tests, I can identify between dozens of oils and name the brand and region of production (I’ve even been able to impress my wife, Yelena, with this skill). I’ve learned to put a lot of faith in my nose and palate.

Over the years, any oil whose flavor, aromas, and textures did not add up to the claims on the label were discontinued at Caputo’s. We always eagerly analyze samples for quality before putting products on our shelves.

We do not stop at blind taste tests, however. We wanted to make certain, so in cases where the price seemed too good to be true, we sent the oils in for professional taste tests to Agbiolab where they conduct many gustatory, chemical, and other scientific tests on olives and olive oil. At no small expense, we have had them run a full spectrum of tests—a tasting panel, UV light test, chemical analysis, etc.—on oils we were curious about.

When a study came out by the UC Davis Olive Center that tested 40 popular brands of olive oil showing how the vast majority of them failed the tests to be called Extra Virgin, we were proud—but not surprised—that Caputo’s did not carry a single one of them.

The moral of the story: Even the less expensive Extra Virgin Olive Oils on Caputo’s shelves are the real deal, and those that are more expensive have been selected for a reason and will be worth every penny. The only thing to decide upon is whether you would like a grassy Sicilian, a thistly Tuscan, or a more complex Umbrian oil.

We keep samples open, so patrons can taste each to ensure they are going to enjoy their purchase. So come on in!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is a new, ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses bitters as a cure for a distressed stomach.

Q: I over-ate this Thanksgiving. And with holiday parties and Christmas coming up, I’m wondering if I should look into aromatic bitters to ease my pain. Will they make a difference?

A: Well, I actually have quite a bit of experience with eating too much. If there is one thing I love it is food, and during the holidays, I can’t stand the thought of not having each and every one of my old favorites. On top of that, how could I pass up a new gastronomic experience. Shun a new dish just because I am full? Pah! No chance.

As the years go by, it is slowly but surely getting more difficult to put up with the physical aftermath, though. Over the past year, I have had more opportunities than I am proud to admit to test the curative powers of aromatic cocktail bitters.

As one would learn in our Intro to Bitters class, the history of these elixirs includes wild claims from the producers, purportedly curing everything from flatulence to impotence and absolutely everything in between. Luckily, the FDA cracked down on the “snake oil” side of bitters a long time ago.

However, from my experience, there is certainly truth to bitters ability to aid in digestion. Anytime I have overeaten or I am not feeling tip top in the tummy, I have a nice big glass of sparkling water with a healthy dose of Peychaud’s. Within a few minutes, I feel notably better. It almost never fails. Put 10 to 12 dashes in a small white wine glass, and that ought to do. Yeah, I take it in a wine glass. Why not? It smells incredible.

Obviously, I am no doctor, scientist, or herbalist, so I will leave it to them to tell you exactly which ingredient in these bitters is doing exactly what. But this practice should not seem that strange. Monks, apothecaries, and even grandmas from all around the world have long known the digestive value of things with bitter flavors.

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.