Tag: AN EXCLUSIVE TASTE OF ITALY

Ridgewood NJ, Kings Food Markets (Kings) is excited to take its customers on an authentic culinary journey through the regions of Italy with an eight-day tasting and entertainment event called Piazza Italia, beginning March 31. The exclusive showcase will recreate a traditional Italian market, or “piazza” across 12 Kings’ stores, featuring a collection of hand-curated products that customers will be welcomed to sample and learn about directly from the Italian artisans. The showcase will feature 25 artisans from 12 regions across Italy, bringing over 75 products for customers to explore including traditional products spanning centuries of history, alongside innovative concepts that will intrigue and please even the most discriminating palates.

“At Kings, we’re always looking to delight our customers with new and authentic options,” said Judy Spires, chairman and CEO of Kings Food Markets. “Our passion for food is what drives us and programs like Piazza Italia are what inspire us. We can’t wait to share this inspiration with our customers and give them the opportunity to taste the highest quality products and engage with these skilled Italian artisans.”

Featured products, hand selected from almost 100 producers, will feature:

·         Olive oils from four different Italian regions including Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria and Apulia

·         Giusti Balsamic Vinegars, the oldest producer of balsamic vinegar established in 1605

·         Rich and succulent specialty sauces direct from Sicily

·         Genuine artisanal pasta from different Italian regions including Marche, Campania and Apulia

Additional Italian delights will be available: marinated vegetables, decadent sweets including chocolates, cookies and coffee/tea. There will even be a selection of craftsman ceramic dishes as well as pots and pans to purchase. Kings customers’ will have the opportunity to vote on the top artisan products to bring to its stores and enter to win one of four $250 gift cards, creating yet another exclusive offering with a brand new line of Italian goods.

To celebrate this distinctive showcase, Judy Spires, chairman and CEO of Kings Food Markets, will kick off the event with an opening ceremony that includes Francesco Genuardi, the General Consul of Italy in New York, as well as partners of Italian Products USA at 11:00 a.m. in the Kings’ Short Hills, NJ location. Following the ceremony and throughout the eight-day event, customers will be able to enjoy:

·         An operatic flash mob with young promising talents on the rise

·         Two centuries of Italian Music with the musical duo Kristine Massari and Enrico Granafei

·         A musical Grand Finale with the Ron Aprea Big Band

Customers will also be able to meet Rossella Rago, the star of the Cooking with Nonna Show, and listen to Julia della Croce, distinguished as one of America’s best cooking teachers and food historians by the James Beard Foundation, talk about the regional differences of pastas and sauces as well as the traditional sweets of Easter. The Kings Short Hills Cooking Studio will also be offering an Italian Boot Camp Class, on Friday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the class can be purchased athttps://kingsfoodmarkets.com/in-store-events/italian-boot-camp.

To help shoppers learn more, Kings will have information posted on its site beginningMarch 17, sharing specific times and locations for each of the in-store events occurring during the eight-day artisan showcase, here: www.kingsfoodmarkets/Italian. Additionally, customers can look to take part in the conversation in real-time on Kings’ social media channels via Twitter (@KingsFoodMkts) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/kingsfoodmarkets).