It’s a tale as old as time, a song as old as, well, Spain. Consider this a culinary love story. Fated lovers brought together by destiny hunger, forced apart by tragedy industrialization, and reunited by their unwavering dedication to one another a bonafide food revival. This is the story of tinned seafood and its one true love, fortified wine.

Tinned seafood culture was born on the Iberian peninsula, and while it’s never really died out, it’s experiencing something of a renaissance worldwide. What was once a local tradition is taking the culinary world by storm. You may have noticed it at your local watering hole or your favorite little neighborhood restaurant. Believe me when I say tinned seafood is here to stay. But if you don’t believe, take a chance on re-creating a recent Caputo party spread of tinned seafood and tapas style accouterments and pair with a variety of fortified wines. It’s a unique, luxurious, and delicious spread of food with a multitude of textures, flavors, and culinary variety. This is the stuff of my culinary dreams.

The first step to creating your spread is shopping for your treasures. Select a variety of fish, bivalves, and cephalopods and be mindful of the oils and sauces they’ve been preserved in. You’ll want a variety of oil, sauce, brine, and spice. You’ll also want a varriety of brands. Seafood is being fished from the best sources and we’re lucky enough to have a handful of brands with their finger on the pulse of the ocean. Personally, I think every table needs a tin of these Jose Gourmet spiced calamari in ragout sauce and at least one really love tin of sardines to help fight the misconception that all sardines are sad sardines (my pick here). Lastly, pick something you would have never dreamed of 1)finding in the US 2) ever eating. Enter baby eels in olive oil and . Finally, finish this step with our preferred starchy vehicle, Spanish potato chips, and acidic preserved vegetables like basque piparras and caperberries along with lemon wedges and some vinegar based sauces the only sauce that matters, Espinaler.

Step two is where this starts to really get fun; it’s time to shop for booze. Vermouth and other aperitifs date as far back as tapas culture. The two have gone hand in hand since humans began fortifying their wines with additional spirits, roots, herbs, and sweeteners. Fortified wines offer a more aromatic and flavor packed juxtaposition to tinned seafood than wine alone can. Yes, of course you’ll love these tins with a glass of white wine; however, a vermouth (either sweet or savory) will create more depth, nuance, and complexity for you to enjoy long after you’ve swallowed. You nerds out there know this as retronasal olfaction, and you nerds know exactly what to expect from pairings of this caliber. Start with a sweet vermouth as this is the original mate for tinned seafood, but spread your wings and grab a dry vermouth and any other aromatized wine or aperitif that strikes your fancy. If it’s herbaceous, sweet, or both, you’ll likely enjoy it.

Yelena Caputo (friend/boss/soul sister) once likened our national affinity for the classic Coca Cola, salty fries, and hamburger combo to the much more romantic Spanish version – sweet vermouth, patatas fritas, and tinned goods. Sweet marries easily with savory and salty flavors in any fashion, this is no different. Enjoy the balance they offer each other and the layers of flavor you can create with each new tin and bottle.

When you’re ready to put your spread together, don’t be afraid of going big. We did our crawfish boil style with newspaper spread over the table, heaped with potato chips and seafood, veg, and glasses nestled into each little nook and cranny. It certainly makes a statement, but you can re-create the same idea on a wooden cutting board, coffee table, or large plate. The idea is to enjoy nibbles and sips of different combinations throughout your evening. Everyone will find something they like and you’ll be shocked at how satisfied you’ll feel from these delicate proteins, salty starches, and sweet libations.

Indulge, enjoy your company, savor your sips and bites. It’s just like a trip to Spain, without the fearmongering border agents fear of customs seizing all your tasty treasures.

Throughout Southern Europe a tea culture exists which predates the import of teas from India and China by the British. In fact, if you happen to have an Italian, Greek, or Croatian Grandmother, chances are she’s got a tea recipe for your wintertime sniffles or upset stomach. While true tea (Camelia sinensis) didn’t root in Southern Europe until recently, herbal teas and tisanes have been an integral part to both folk medicine and culinary creations since time immemorial.

We’ve created three herbal tea blends that are inspired and empowered by the folk herbal traditions of Southern Europe and we’re excited to share them with you!

ITALY

If there is one herbal tea that sums up the flavors of Italy it must be Lemon Verbena! Growing across meadow-lands and in many a terracotta pot, Verbena offers the aroma and flavor of Italian countryside- lemons, bergamot, and grass. We’ve made the simple pairing of Lemon Verbena and Lemon Peel to create a deep citrus tea that’s perfect for waking up or winding down.

Lemon Verbena has been traditionally used to help with the common cold, mood, and digestive complaints. It’s the perfect aperitif tea and blends beautifully with sparkling water paired with craft chocolate.

GREECE

In ancient Greek, the name Chamomile means ‘ground apple’- a nod at how this lovely plant grows and how it smells. Chamomile is actually an ancient ground cover plant that smells like dried apples when pinched or stepped on. Greece is famous for it’s varietals of Chamomile, and we’ve paired it with the flowers of Greek Linden Trees (Tila) and Wild Lavender flowers for the perfect calming sip.

Chamomile is one of the world’s most celebrated relaxing herbs. Calming to both mind and body, our Greece blend is a fantastic night-cap or a great way to shake off the stresses of the day. Pair with fruits like apples, dates, and figs or Hazelnuts and Cheese.

CROATIA

For this tea blend we took inspiration from a city in northern Croatia- Koprivnica. Named after the wild Nettles which grow throughout the region, this area has a history of both eating Nettles as a cooked green and enjoying them as a mineral-rich, vegetal herbal tea. We’ve combined our Croatian Nettles with Lemon Balm and Country Mint to create a bright, uplifting blend.

Nettles are a powerhouse of minerals and vitamins and can be incredibly nourishing to the whole body. Enjoy this tea as a feel-good brew anytime. Pair with grounding soulful foods like bread, butter, honey, and cheese.

I’ve finally done it. I, Adri, of gifting procrastination and of slow wrapping skill, have completed my holiday shopping EARLY.

Try as I might, I have never before been able to finish my to-do list for gifts on time. December 22nd rolls around and I finally realize how behind I am. I run all over the city looking for gifts at picked-over stores and pop-up shops (arms flailing above my head the whole time), and I finally realize the perfect gifts have been right under my nose the whole time. At Caputo’s, of course.

Here’s what I know: Everyone likes to eat. Artisan food will always be in style. Why not let your friends and family eat the very best and most delicious treats available? Here’s your guide to the very best last-minute gifts. One gift for each of the 12 days of Christmas, a la Caputo’s:

1. Utah Chocolate – You can never go wrong gifting chocolate, especially in Utah. The Beehive State is internationally recognized as a well known hub for craft chocolate, in both consumption and production. Utah is home to five bean-to-bar chocolate companies that are putting themselves on the fine-chocolate map with their artisan bars and dedication to creating the best chocolate possible.  Give your pals a taste of Utah with this perfect collection of fine dark chocolate, all made in Utah.

2. Local Treasures Gift Collection – This is the ideal choice for the locavore in your life. We’ve hand selected seven items that are not only made locally, but they’re world-class artisan products. From bean-to-bar chocolate to smoky and savory chili oil, this is sure to please you local-lovin’ pals.

3. Tinned Seafood – It may sound strange to you today, but hear me out. Tinned seafood is about to experience a revival I would liken to the whiskey boom of the past decade or the fermented food craze we’re in the thick of now. Sustainable protein in beautiful packaging sounds like the perfect savory stocking stuffer to counter all the sweet things headed your belly’s way. (Psst… read more about this food revival here.)

4. Underberg Digestif – We’re in the middle of a craft cocktail and bitters revival here, people! Along with some truly fantastic locally made bitters, Underberg is another home bar necessity. These tiny bottles of German digestifs are the perfect spicy backbone for a cocktail or the perfect medicine for an over-filled belly after Christmas dinner. Shake into cocktails or sip solo, either will be a welcome treat to your palate. Stuff into stockings or stock your pals’ bars, but be sure to keep a bottle or two for yourself as well.

5. Caputo’s Cheese Cave Collection – Our market was founded on our love of cheese, and that love has only grown stronger with our burgeoning cave program. One cave just wasn’t cutting it for us. We need more room to to add additional wheels of cheese into their ideal aging environment (it makes them as absolutely delicious as possible, not to mention healthier). Affinage is happening every second.  Wanna know what the cave is all about, or want to share your knowledge? This is the perfect choice. Four of our favorite cave-aged cheeses come bundled and ready to eat. Hopefully they share with you!

6. Blue’s Chocolates – The country’s most inimitable filled chocolates live right here at Caputo’s. These little treasures are handmade in Berkeley, CA and are only available at Blue’s Chocolate stores and Caputo’s. Not only does Blue’s Chocolates use locally-made Solstice Chocolate, they make products that are utterly divine. One taste will convince anyone of their superiority. The good news for you is that there are plenty of box sizes to choose from. There’s a perfect size for each person depending on how naughty or nice they’ve been this year.

7. Luxardo Cherries – There’s something incredibly attractive about shaking a cocktail shaker around like a mad person…or like you know what you’re doing. If your loved ones are getting into the craft-cocktail movement and experimenting at home, this is the perfect gift. Luxardo cherries are steeped in history and are the original Maraschino cherry that those chemical red sugar-bombs are attempting to imitate.  Garnish classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, throw into pork pan sauces, and chop into ice cream custards and cake batters. These will be the jar that empties the fastest this season.

8. Viola Colleruita Olive Oil – An Italian condiment olive oil is the ideal gift for those taking Italian food seriously. If someone on your list is looking to unleash their inner Marcella Hazan, this will become a key finishing component for nearly every dish. Think of the brightest, greenest flavors of summer and now imagine harnessing those very flavors in the dead of winter. This is the way do it. Use this oil for finishing roasted dishes, drizzle over vegetables and protein alike, and save a few drops for your gelato (I’m serious). It doesn’t get any more flavorful, or Italian, than this.

9. Caputo’s Apparel – This is our new take on good taste. We’re not just gifting with your wonderful taste in food in mind, but we’re here to outfit you and yours in Caputo swag, too! Toddlers to adults can rep the Caputo brand all winter in cozy sweatshirts and warm beanies. One for them, and one for you!

10. Caputo’s Classic Gift Collection – If you’re fond of the good ol’ days and want to share some tasty nostalgia with your pals, this is the collection for you. It’s like a shopping spree of our award winning market bundled into a gift, and ready to be unloaded into the pantry or right on into a pot for dinner. Snacks, provisions, sweet indulgence, and the makings for a tasty weeknight meal all rolled into one. What’s not to love?

11. Fresh Truffles – For the gourmand in your life. This is it. The most luxurious and ultimately wonderful gift for your foodie friend, or you can use it as the focal point of you holiday meal. We’re air-shipping truffles into our downtown market as often as is needed to ensure a fresh, aromatic supply. This friend will have just the recipe to shave these beauties over and I sure hope you get an invitation to the meal. Just the aroma knocks you off your feet, so imagine what your finished entree will do.

12. Class Certificates – Give the gift of food (or drink!) knowledge. It’s the perfect gift for a couple or a friend who might be new to either cooking or the Salt Lake valley. Pick up a certificate for the amount of the class, plus the optional beverage pairing, and let them choose the best class for their calendar and tastes. We’ll help you give the exact dollar amount or round up so your giftee can pick up a special little treat after the class. Choose from cheese or chocolate tastings, cooking classes, or whiskey classes. You read that right: whiskey classes! Remember that bucket list from SL Mag? Send them to class!

You’re still not sure what to give, and you haven’t started shopping yet? That’s OK, we won’t tell a soul. In an effort to inspire your food gifting, here’s what some of your favorite faces from Caputo’s are giving to their friends and family this year.

Don’t see your favorite monger here? Drop by before the holiday—we’re open through the afternoon of Christmas Eve—and ask them for their personal recommendations. We’re certainly not lacking in opinions around here.

So, here you have it: each of our gift picks for 2018:

Matt Caputo
President and ultimate boss-man

Crybaby Bay Leaf Bitters: These bitters are unreal, and local, to boot! Cody has created a bitters that can completely replace the musky, depth offered by a classic aromatic bitters, but does so with a unique set of flavors and ingredients. Substitute these in any classic cocktail that calls for aromatic bitters, you’ll be both completely impressed and wildly pleased.

Yelena Caputo
Vice President, and ultimatest boss who oversees said boss-man

NEW! Caputo’s Apparel: THIS IS  NOT A PROMO. Literally every. single. person. on Yelena’s  Santa’s list is getting the newest Caputo’s swag. Available for tots, kids, and adults. Everyone deserves the gift of good taste, both on their shoulders and in their bellies.

Adri Pachelli
Director of Education (and self-proclaimed office monkey)

Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking:
(available in stores)

If you’ve been to a class, you already know. This is the absolute authority on Italian cooking in Adri’s opinion. No other Italian cookbook is as thorough in explanations of process and history, nor as widely revered as one of the best. For those people in your life that are just getting into cooking or could use a refresher on regional Italian recipes, this is it.

Alicia Konzen
Downtown General Manager

Marou Cacao Cashew Spread:  We love anything from Marou. Their attention to flavor, detail, and overall experience are second to none. This cacao cashew spread is like a silky, mellow alternative to the classic cacao and hazelnut combo without some of the oil-y finish. Alicia is certainly gifting this, but we think she deserves one for herself, too.

Antonia Horne
Affineuse AKA maker of all tasty things from our Cheese Caves

Personal Netflix & Chill Snack Pack: No one spends more time loving on our cheeses than our fearless leader, Antonia. This collection of snacks from our Cheese Caves and award winning shelves are the perfect essentials for a cozy night in. We’re thinking a craft cocktail, cheese board, chocolate bites, and an all-night binge of all the shows we missed while playing Santa’s helper this month. Add one goodnight kiss and this is the night in of our dreams.

Jamey Chelius
15th & 15th General Manager

Pump Street Father Christmas (available in stores): Craft chocolate molded into the shape of beloved St Nick?! What’s not to love? Jamey may or may not be the king of last minute gifting, but he sure knows how to make a tasty choice.

Austin Shimada
Holladay General Manager

Bitters book (available in stores): Austin is turning his entire family into a clan of cocktail aficionados. This book is full of both great information and history, but is also a one-stop resource for our favorite classic and newfound recipes.

The One & Only Tony Caputo
Owner and man behind the magic

Seasonal fresh truffles:

Tony may be sporting the last of our winter black truffles, but fear not! The long awaited white truffles are on their way to our stores, and hopefully the next stop is your dinner tables. Your favorite Caputo’s monger has the scoop on how to best use them, but if you’re lucky, you can catch Tony himself for his favorite recipes, and new fashion accessory?

Tis the season for the warmest, most comforting of cheeses.

Consider Wrångebäck your new best friend for fall’s cold nights. Hailing from a Swedish farm dating back to 1225, Wrångebäck is expertly created by fourth generation cheesemakers. Dense, ultra-creamy, with layer upon layer of browned butter flavor, this raw cows’ milk cheese tastes like sitting in front of a cozy fireplace feels. Perfect for autumn cheese plates, melty soup toppers, or whatever else needs a dose of cozy richness. It’s like browned butter in cheese form.

If you’ve been to Caputo’s Market or taken a Caputo’s class lately, you’ve probably noticed a bump in tinned seafood visibility and pairings. We love tinned seafood, the culture it represents, and just how delicious it is. In a landlocked state like Utah, we’ve found a now easily accessible, and incredibly sustainable, way to include seafood in our daily diets. Meet the newest addition to this burgeoning category: Ittica Alimentare Salerno (IASA).

Campania may be most well known for their cheese, but the miles of coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea make this region ideal for old world, inherently sustainable fishing practices. IASA (Ittica Alimentare Salerno) is at the forefront of the industry, combining tradition and attention to detail with innovative preservation techniques and high quality selection. Mediterranean branzino and dorade are line caught April through September, grilled or steamed, and hand packed to mimic the texture and flavor of freshly caught and cooked fish served by a Southern Italian Nonna. IASA has harnessed the ability to trick the mind and present a preserved fish that feels and tastes as though it’s been freshly prepared the day you open each tin. The likeness to fresh fish is uncanny and we’ve found this to be the way to enjoy a fresh tasting take on preserved seafood long after the fishing season has ended. 

Shop IASA and all our tinned seafood offerings at your local Caputo’s Market or buy online here.

If you’ve been following our Tower of Terroir series over the last week, then you know we’ve been obsessing over all things Halloween. In between the spider-webbing of our front doors, carving of crooked-teethed pumpkins, and brainstorming costume ideas (pretty sure I’m going with Disco Bunny), we’ve shared a couple pretty killer recipes. We’ve covered drinks and dinner, but now it’s time for the thing trick-or-treaters want most: chocolate!

Well, sort of. It’s actually coffee. Plus milk. And cocoa butter. With a touch of raw cane sugar thrown in. Okay okay, it’s a latte. But also a chocolate bar. Wait, what?

The good folks over at OmNom (read: highly awarded, truly delicious, beautifully packaged Icelandic chocolate Jedi masters) wanted to see what would happen if they replaced cacao beans with coffee beans, and we can say pretty much without pause that it’s one of the most delicious things on our shelves right now. OmNom worked extensively on this project with their fellow countrymen Reykjavik Roasters to develop a roasting curve that would deliver the best aromatic results and smoothest flavor. The result is, well, a deliciously edible latte. Actually it’s more like 5 lattes (eat the whole bar in one sitting and you’ll be jittering something fierce), and it’s only $9.99. Plus, the spooky bats on the package are just too perfect for Halloween.

Pick up a couple bars before the 31st, in stores or online!

For those of you participating in the annual Eat Local Week challenge, we’re rounding up our very favorite local items -at varying levels of local-ness- to make your week as local as you’d like and as delicious as possible. Browse through the list or take a stroll around your local Caputo’s. We’d be thrilled to help you load up on all things local.

THE 250 MILE LIST
If you’re sticking to the 250 mile radius challenge, these items are for you. Everything in the section has been grown and finished within 250 miles of our Downtown store:

Caputo’s Cheese Caves*
If you know us, you know that cheese is first true love. Our caves are full of locally made wheels and international treasures that get the perfect refinement at the hands of our affineuse, Antonia. Our House-Aged Cheddar and Mesa Farm cheeses fit perfectly within our ELW radius.

Mesa Farm Cheeses*
There are not enough words, nor enough time, to fully describe what Randy and Mesa Farm mean to us. Mesa Farm embodies the very pinnacle of honest, artisan, sustainable food and we could not be more proud to partner with this farm in our caves and our hearts. There are plenty of options, ranging from fresh chevre to our 60 day cave aged Barely Legal to keep you week full of variety.

(P.S. – read more about Mesa Farm and our annual Goat Camp adventures here and here.)

Clifford Farms Fresh Eggs and Honey
Julie Clifford is a local gem and bonafide locavore. The Clifford family has been a necessity in our kitchens for years, so this is a no-brainer  for our ELW shopping lists. Eggs* are one of our favorite proteins for every meal throughout the day and honey* is our local sweetener of choice.

Beehive Cheese
More cheese = more fun = living our best life. The end of summer would not be complete without some late season grilling. Said grilling would not be complete without Beehive Cheese*. If there are local burgers, there should be local cheddar. Melt over everything, round out your cheese board, or pack a lunch with the local staple. 

Zursun Heirlooms
Our neighbors to the North are enriching our lives with all sorts of heirloom legumes and grains. They may not be within the Utah borders, but Zursun* is  close enough that we’ll be relying on their beans and lentils this week to keep us satisfied and satiated. The evenings are now just cool enough for the first stews of the season. Spicy chickpeas, anyone?

Bee’s Brothers
We are unwilling to forego dessert during Eat Local Week, and you shouldn’t give it up, either! Bee’s Brothers* to the rescue. Honey and butter from Logan are combined for the perfect nightcap, caramels! We won’t ask how many you have each night if you don’t ask us.

MADE IN UTAH
Some of the ingredients used by these brands fall outside of the 250 mile radius, but we’d be lying if we said we wouldn’t be sneaking in some chocolate and cocktails this week, so here are our local pals that’ll be saving our sanity this week:

The Craft Chocolate Capital, as dubbed by Saveur
It’s true. There is no better place in the country for craft chocolate than right here in Utah. Take your pick from these phenomenal, award winning brands, all in our backyard. Utah chocolate is our favorite chocolate.

Lindon – Crio Bru*
Orem – Amano Chocolate*
Park City – Ritual Chocolate*
Sandy – The Cacao Bean Project*
Salt Lake City – Chocolate Conspiracy*
Salt Lake City – Solstice Chocolate*
Salt Lake City – Millcreek Cacao*

All Things Bitters
Sure, cocktail bitters can make or break a cocktail, but have you started cooking and baking with them? Substitute your favorite bitters in any recipe that call for vanilla extract and add a few dashes to dressings, marinades, and pan sauces for depth, complexity, and a lovely extra punch of flavor.

Roy – Beehive Bitters*
Salt Lake City – Bitters Lab*

Creminelli Fine Meats
They did get their start in our basement, after all. Life would not be complete without a healthy dose of salumi. Throw into a local egg frittata, chop into salads, or dress up your cheese board with all things Creminelli*.

Hot Stuff
The spice of life lies in a few bottles and jar that make life just that. Choose from two of our favorites, both made here in SLC:

Chili Beak*
Mama Africa*

EVEN MORE LOCAL STUFF
We love Utah because of the artisans, makers, and the movers and shakers who make this city what it is today. We couldn’t do it and Salt Lake would be lost without the fine folks behind these brands:

Normal Ice Cream*
Laziz Foods
Amour Spreads*
Garwood’s*
Mamachari*
Pop Art*

* Available at your local Caputo’s

I love a good food trend as much as the next person. But what I love more is a bonafide food revival. Here’s the difference:

A food trend starts with an innovative hack or recipe twist and makes waves on social media in mere days. Your favorite food bloggers offer up their takes on it, then said trend is murdered by big chains trying to get in on the action. It’s a windfall experience, left to die a lonely death with only faint memories of their once viral hashtags and millenial social love.

The story of a  food revival started centuries ago, back when food was a means of survival. Food was fuel then, made delicious by generations of tweaks and passed down techniques. Sure, they may have faded to make way for said trends above, but they’ve never fully disappeared. The revival begins quietly on the shelves of your favorite stores. It gains traction slowly after one recommendation to take it home and try it for yourself, one Google session to figure out what to do with it, one bottle of wine to pair it with. Small articles in Bon Appetit or Food and Wine will mention it, your friends will say they’ve tried it. Your mom might even send you a newspaper clipping about it. Before you know it, you’ve changed your eating habits to incorporate it, developed a tiered list of favorite brands, traditional preparations, and recipes using it at home, and now you’re sending clippings back to your mom about even better options than she’d originally recommended.

That’s the food revival. Unassuming at first, but impactful. Think of the difference between $100 gourmet burgers and Greek yogurt, artisan cupcakes and fermented foods…you get the idea. Spendy burgers and all things cupcake came and went. Yes, they’re still around, but you may not feel as inclined to keep ingredients on hand to prepare on a whim or boast their consumption on your Insta stories. Greek yogurt and fermented items found their way into our hearts and refrigerators and will remain. Whether it’s for solo snacking or adding to recipes, the health benefits and lingering flavor keeps us all coming back for more.

So, I’m here to tell you what’s next. Now remember, enter with an open mind. It’s time to get reacquainted with tinned seafood, my friends.

This is not the mass-produced ‘Chicken of the Sea’ cans of tuna that ensnare dolphins and tuna alike. It is not flash-cooked and preserved in weird faux-brine water. It is not tasteless slop. Revival-worthy tinned seafood is the stuff of legend. Think small boats with three generations aboard—working together, catching together, selecting the very best to bring back to shore. Grandmothers oversee the preparation and preservation with strong opinions, heavy-handed seasoning, and a forever-furrowed brow.

Once preserved, seafood does a magical thing and becomes even more delicious with time. The oil, sauce, or brine permeate the fibers and flesh and textures become soft and supple. Flavors commingle and rest until each tin is chosen for consumption. What was once a way to preserve precious proteins for the off-season is now a stalwart of tapas fare and ultra-sustainable because of its inherent nature, not because of a trend.

You’ll find one of the best in Jose Gourmet. Fish, bivalves, and mollusks are prepared traditionally with classic sauces and oils. There’s an option for every eater: mild and delicate or toothsome and full of flavor. Each tin is prepared with exceptional attention to detail, down to how each piece is artfully preserved in the tin, sealed for optimal preservation and flavor, and bound with eye-catching art and enchanting stories. For those of us residing in landlocked locales, this is the perfect way to start introducing seafood into our diets without breaking the bank. Roll back the lid on a tin, toss together a salad, and pour yourself a glass of wine. You’ll be transported to another place and time for as long as the tin takes to consume. You’ll begin craving the experience and the flavors and come back for more as often as I have this year. I’ll see you in the tinned seafood aisle.

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.