A little interview to let you know a bit more about this great place and website

As you maybe know already, we have a quite small production of pasta:  we only make around 3 tons of pasta a day and this means that only 15.000 “lucky” people can eat our pasta every year, which is a very different scenario from a normal supermarket that sells pasta for 15.000 people in one day.  For this reason we have to chose our food retailers very carefully.

In England we sell our pasta in Harvey Nichols, since few weeks in Melograno, but the first place and person who get involved with our products was Niccolo Bittante founder of *foodinthecity, a premier source for gourmet food.

Niccolo has in fact many years of experience in the food industry and the majority of his work has been product development, marketing and brand building. It's now a long time that he work with us supporting and promoting our products and we love his taste in food and his care for the esthetic side of anything he works on and for.

Here a little interview to know him and *foodinthecity better:

When did you have the idea to start a project like *foodinthecity? And why?

Having lived in London for many years and driven by my passion for quality ingredients I realised there was an opportunity to create a business and one stop shop to help like minded people who love to cook and entertain get the finest products without having to drive all over London, delivered direct to your door. 

When it became a shop?

 8 months after I launched *foodinthecity online

Who invented the name?

 I did.  It was a fun process.  I wanted something that would reflect the core mission of the company and also that people could remember easily.

How do you select your products for your shop and where they come from?

Working closely with the world’s best producers and chefs I have the chance to use their expertise to source and create amazing products where only the very finest ingredients are used without preservatives and additives. Our range is organic wherever possible, and its prime mantra above all driven by flavour.  I am also always looking out for new sources by spending a lot of my time travelling and meeting producers. 

Are you scared about more commercial competitors like Carluccio's?

The Carluccio's business is amazing and Antonio is a great friend of mine. *foodinthecity is different and it is focused on artisan production methods on traditional production, rather than mass production. We strive to find unique and interesting products of the highest quality for our clients, who love to visit our warehouse which has been described by many as a little gem. We also spend time with our customers educating them on the products, offering tastings and taking them through the journey of each product and characteristics.

Do you really think english people can appreciate a place like this? What would you like them to understand?

My philosophy is that if you put quality in front of people they will respond and it has been proven time and time again by our clients who order regularly from our online website or visit the warehouse with wonderful stories of diner parties they have created using our produce.

How do you see *foodinthecity in 3 years?

My business has been growing nicely in a tough market and this is driven by my energy to succeed, we have amazing clients who are spreading the word and as the business grows we will expand into other markets.

When did you discover your passion for food and when did you decide to work in this field?

My love of food comes from my very early days in Marostica my home town, where as a family the table was an important part of our daily lives. I loved helping my mother cook seasonal produce that we grew in the garden. It was a way of life working the land and enjoying the fruits of our labour.

Which is the most characteristic ingredient in your shop? something that could be your signature?

We don't have a single signature product.  It's all about the combined variety of signature products we carry and how unique they all are.

What is your favourite /dish/food or recipe?

I have many favourite recipes. My philosophy is keep it simple and let the wonderful produce be the hero using the finest ingredients so in season I love spaghetti with courgette flowers and anchovy.

Have you ever tried this dish? Do you know how to prepare it?

Next week i will post this great recipe from Niccolo, but in the meantime get ready with the ingredients: come to *foodinthecity this weekend to buy the anchovies and the Spaghetti Pastificio dei Campi.

*Foodinthecity is a provider of the finest quality foods in the UK, with a warehouse and store in St John’s Wood London. His customers include five star hotels, premium restaurants, caterers and specialist food retailers.

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The easiest recipe is always the most successful

In Italy we don't use to call this dish pasta salad (insalata di pasta) also if we have rice salad (insalata di riso). We normally call this cold pasta (pasta fredda) and it's a must in the summer and in any kind of party, bbq, pic nic and event with lots of people and a good weather.

Recently i have been invited in a house warming party here in London, and I thought to help out the guest bringing some easy Cold Pasta that she could simply serve in a big pot.

The dish was a real success and it finished in no time. I was sorry for the other pasta cooked by another italian, but my recipe with PGI Gragnano pasta from Pastificio Dei Campi doesn't have any rival.

So here is my recipe to make your party a success too. It serve 4-5 people if you have also other food:

- 350gr short pasta (any kind you like but I love Tortiglioni, but i can suggest also the Elicoidali o the Tofette shape. I think they can be great too!),

- 1 tuna can,

- 1 mozzarella or 2 little bags of mozzarella in balls,

- some cherry tomatoes,

- some pitted black olives,

- oregano,

- fresh basil,

- some capers if you have

- salt, pepper and olive oil of course.

Boil the pasta in some salty water until "al dente", but be careful because this is really important. Drain the pasta and pass it under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Then place it in a big container and add some olive oil.

Mix until all the pasta is divided and start to add the ingredients: cut the mozzarella, the cherry tomatoes and the black olives in half.  Then add the tuna, the fresh basil (but cut it with hand, in this way it won't become black), the oregano, salt and pepper.

Mix it all with some more oil if needed and add some capers as final touch. Now be ready to enjoy! As you will se from the pictures at the party has been used plastic glasses instead of plates and it was great! It’s a good solution for lunches in the park too. I hope you will like it!

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