January 2011

Check out our archive article from the Newspaper!

SPARTA INDEPENDENT > NEWS

 IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Christina Calvo

From Nanna’s kitchen to yours, By Rose Sgarlato

Christina Calvo is the creator and owner of Gourmet Italian Kitchen, a new business she started in April. Based in Sparta, she sells specialty foods and desserts made in her own kitchen with recipes that originate from her Sicilian grandmother Antoinette Monteleone.

With a name like that, it’s got to be good.

“I have been around cooking with my family my whole life. My inspiration for food came from my Sicilian background. And there are other really strong females who influenced me like my mother-in-law from the Bronx. She took me under her wing and taught me secrets from the neighborhood,” said Calvo.

Her grandfather even made his own wine, and she fondly reflects on her grandmother’s cooking on Saturdays in preparation for the big family feast on Sundays.

“One of the reasons for starting my business was because I was desperate for good quality food that I remembered. I do a lot of entertaining. I have a never-ending passion for food. Every year, everyone would say you should do something,” she said. But Calvo was not interested in the craziness of operating a restaurant.

Her goal is to keep these memories alive and make them available for purchase. On Calvo’s Web site www.gourmetitaliankitchen.com, a variety of homemade items like tomato sauces and fresh pastas such as Nanna’s raviolis are available as well as pignoli cookies and Italian fruit tarts. Calvo will deliver locally and also ship anywhere in the country. “A big seller is the spinach pie — I cannot make enough of them,” she said.

Calvo encourages people to order Monday or Tuesday, so she has plenty of time for preparation and delivery.

Her biggest client at the moment is a retail store called Mama’s Boy Market in Phoenicia, N.Y. Once a week, she drives to upstate New York to deliver a huge assortment of her products. “The bambolini, which are stuffed homemade breads with various fillings like broccoli rabe and mozzarella are very popular there,” she said.

Gourmet Italian Kitchen uses fresh ingredients and high quality products such as imported chocolate for the European chocolate chip cookies. She makes a special trip to Chelsea Market in Manhattan to an Italian importer to buy the chocolate.

“I wanted to make my business with a modern twist but keep old school authentic recipes; so I created a modern packaging design with the logo that I envisioned,” she explained. Calvo hired someone to make her Web site work for distribution. “It has been a whirlwind since I started.”

She doesn’t want to limit herself to Sparta, so Calvo brings samples of food to her aunt’s hair salon in Franklin Lakes where she has developed many clients. Recently, she donated a gift certificate to a fundraiser in Manhattan. She hopes the exposure helps increase business.

“My ultimate goal is to give the Italian specialty food stores, which are dominated by men, a run for their money. It is nice to know an Italian American woman can do this too. A combination of hard work and paying attention to every detail ... is a great recipe for success.”

Gourmet Italian Kitchen, 973-726-0358. She also takes online orders, www.gourmetitaliankitchen.com

 "That chicken is soooooooo good. Thanks for loading the tray up too!"

To all the strong Italian women in my family who encouraged me to keep these recipes alive for the next generation. And to my husband and son who inspire me each and every day!!!!