About Gustiamo

We are Italian food importers. We import real ingredients from Italy to the USA. We are based in the Bronx and we sell our food all over the United States and Canada.

We founded Gustiamo in 1999 as an online retailer with the mission to improve the quality of Italian food in the States. ...more Since then, we have been independently importing the best and most authentic food from Italian farmers and food makers, wonderful people dedicated to their land and traditions. In addition to our online store, we also have a robust wholesale program.

We are a disruptive company, fiercely dedicated to transparency and paying the right price for food. Our work advocating for real San Marzano Tomatoes has been recognized in the NYTimes and we, one restaurant at a time, are giving chefs the opportunity to use real Italian extra virgin olive oil in their kitchens.

Our Gusti Customers, chef and non-chefs alike, are curious and adventurous; they source ingredients and products with great care and pay close attention to craftsmanship, legitimacy, and above all superior quality + taste.

GustiTeam

MEET HECTOR

MEET BEATRICE

Hector

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
After I joined Gustiamo, I started to cook pasta almost everyday. It’s the simplest food and you barely need a recipe: pasta Faella with grated cheese and tomato sauce is a meal for a king, ready in 10 minutes. It’s so good I am writing a song about it. I’am a rapper, in my spare time and when I don’t bubble wrap (more on this below).

Do you have a current food obsession?
When I am at home, I can’t stop eating Marco Colzani pistachio spread. With bread and strawberries. I could eat a full jar in 2 sessions, but I share it with my mom (yes, so generous!). She loves to spread it on Panettone.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
Napoli! The land of pizza. When I was a kid, I was so obsessed with pizza that I reasearched its origins. Since then, I’ve always dreamed of going to Napoli and eat pizza all day. I want to try all the pizzerie there and choose my favorite.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
I work in the Gusti warehouse and, among my many tasks, bubble wrapping is my favorite. That’s how we make sure that the products get delivered safe and sound. Once you learn the tricks to cover the fragile spots, it’s a very simple and peaceful task. It’s my time to meditate the things of the world.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
Everyone should know the health benefits of Italian food. You get good products and you make food for yourself that is delicious and nutritious.

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MEET PATRICK

MEET MARTINA

Patrick

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
I am a big San Marzano Tomato fan. My wife and I like to cook from scratch and when I discovered Gustarosso, I realized I had never cooked with a canned tomato of such quality. The consistency, the texture, the flavor! You don’t need to add too much seasoning to make a beautiful sauce.

Do you have a current food obsession?
Lately, I have been craving Maida papaccelle. They make such a simple snack with a good piece of bread! Also, I have tried many many different pairings and they never disappoint. They’re a side dish that goes well with meat and fish.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
I would like to go to Sardegna and get to meet Luigi Manias and his wild, happy bees. After tasting his Eucalyptus honey, I was really impressed. Those resinous notes are so unique! I have learned that this aroma is a great expression of the Sardegna terroir.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
Everytime we send a Gusti Newsletter, I am fascinated to see how customers react. I take care of the e-commerce order fulfillment and, while preparing the shipments, I always wonder how our customers will use their ingredients. I have discovered that Italian cuisine has many seasonal foods, too! Pandoro only in winter, Colomba only in spring.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
Everybody should know how diverse each region of Italy is. In particular, the incredible diversity of the various tomatoes. Each micro area has a totally different tomato variety that reflects a different culture and often a different history. Biodiversity richness!

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Martina

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
Flour. I use Filippo Drago’s flours for everything, from my go-to breakfast muffins to fresh pasta. I am always reaching for his flours in my pantry.

Do you have a current food obsession?
The Gusti Lunch! Seriously, Gusti lunches are famous. If you get an invitation to a Gusti lunch you know that we like you ;) I am the unofficial Gusti Lunch Director. Every day, I take everyone’s random assortment of leftovers and turn them into a feast for the whole team. My goal is to never have any food waste. I *will* make you finish your plate.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
I’ve been to many of the small islands around Sicily but never the main island! I am dying to get to Palermo.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
I love hanging out with people that come to visit us. Getting a tour of the Gusti Warehouse is fun and special. There is nothing else like it in NY, or in the whole USA for that matter!

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
Please. PLEASE. Less garlic. Did you know that when most Italians use garlic they use just one clove? They don’t even chop it. They cook with it whole and they throw it away before the dish finishes cooking. All you need is a kiss of garlic. Garlicky is not a flavor in Italy. Except for spaghetti aglio e olio, maybe that is one exception in ALL of Italian cooking.

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MEET KLEA

MEET GLORIA

Klea

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
My pantry is never out of pasta! When you have a bag of great pasta like Pasta Faella handy, you know you have a variety of dinner options available and they will all be on point. My favorite shape is Linguine, I cannot resist a chewy, al dente plate of Linguine. In my family my recipe for Linguine allo scoglio (with seafood) is always a hit.

Do you have a current food obsession?
I consider myself a gianduja expert. I have tried all the gianduja spreads on the market. So, when I tasted the chocolate hazelnut spread by Marco Colzani for the first time, it blew my mind. It is completely different from anything I have ever tried. What is more shocking is how three simple and natural ingredients like cacao, Piemontese hazelnuts and sugar can combine in such a rich and creamy confection.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
I have never been to Sicily and I’d love to spend some time in summer harvesting salt with Salvatore Gucciardo in Trapani. I hear their area is a WWF protected natural reserve and I can’t imagine how dreamy it is with the pink flamingos flying around the salt pans.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
No day looks like the other when you work at Gustiamo, because we all have so many different tasks. My favorite moment is when I get the chance to go to the back of the warehouse to rearrange pallets and shelves. Whether it’s because we are receiving a container from Italy or we have to ship out a big order to the West Coast, it always feels like playing Tetris to me.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
The immense difference between a good extra virgin olive oil and an industrial product refined with solvents. I come from Firenze and I have spent every fall of the last 20 years hand harvesting and milling olives with my family. I am lucky because I could detect a faulty EVOO immediately, but I think that everyone who has the chance to learn more about olive oil should embrace that opportunity. Real EVOO is a game changer!

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Gloria

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
Ever since I visited Nettuno in Cetara, I use anchovy colatura at the beginning of every savory recipe that I cook. Literally, every time I make a soffritto I add Colatura. It adds depth to everything, just a spoonful or two. It has incredible flavor powers.

Do you have a current food obsession?
Making salty recipes without using actual salt. I am really into using other ingredients (which are salty but not salt itself) to reach the umami flavor I love. See above comment about colatura! Also, anchovies, cheese rind, and capers!

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
I have never been to Calabria, I really want to go to Tropea. I have read that the fish there is amazing. The Mediterranean is complex, the Mediterranean Sea has so many different personalities and microclimates. I am from Sardegna, but I am sure that Calabria will be a completely different experience. It is another kind of Mediterranean environment that I would love to see.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
Organizing the days orders from gustiamo.com. After all the orders are picked, packed, and shipped; there is something very satisfying about closing the day’s order folders.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
The concept of Italian food doesn’t even make sense! Italian food does not exist. But do you know what does exist? Salentino food, Friulano food, Romagnolo food, Logudorese food, Valdostano food!!

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MEET KLEVIS

MEET DEXTER

Klevis

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
I adore honey. When I lived in Firenze, I got into the benefits and properties of honey. But it’s not until I have tasted honey made in Sardegna by Luigi Manias that I understood how extraordinary the world of honey can be. To me it’s amazing how Luigi’s Corbezzolo and Asphodel honey can be so different from each other and at the same time so incredibly better than any other honey I have ever tried.

Do you have a current food obsession?
Marco Colzani pistachio spread! I wake up in the morning thinking about the slice of bread smothered with pistachio spread that I will make myself for breakfast. It’s my green energy charge to work in the Gustiamo warehouse.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
Ragusa in Sicilia. Not only am I dying to see all the baroque architecture of southern Sicily, I especially can’t wait to participate in person to the olive harvest at the Pianogrillo farm near Ragusa. I think that would be such a unique way to experience the town and understand its culture.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
I’m the warehouse manager at Gustiamo, but everyone calls me the master architect. There’s so much planning and engineering that goes behind the arrangement of pallets and shelves. Everything starts with a clean and well organized warehouse.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
For me, Italian food means sitting at the table with friends and family and sharing a meal. Having a conversation in front of good food is the most important moment of the day and it should be part of our daily routine. I couldn’t live a life where I eat my meals alone, standing, in silence, like you often see in the United States.

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Dexter

Which Gusti product do you most use at home besides EVOO?
Pianogrillo cherry tomato sauce, it is delicious and so easy to use. I add ground meat to the sauce, cook for 20 minutes and I make my own simple ragu. I just boil some water, cook pasta al dente, drain well, and I have a quick and easy dinner.

Do you have a current food obsession?
My food obsession is our Parmigiano cheese. It goes very well with my pasta al ragu and it’s just heavenly with some drops of the balsamic vinegar I got at Gustiamo.

Where in Italy have you never been but always wanted to go?
I would love to go to Emilia Romagna and see how our Parmigiano cheese is made and meet the famous red cows. Did I say that I am obsessed with this Vacche Rosse cheese? Also, I want to go meet Mariangela who makes our balsamic and lives nearby. Emilia Romagna really sounds like the place to be.

Out of all the tasks/things you do at Gustiamo, which is your favorite?
Packing! I think packing is an underrated skill in this world. It is very important that you nail the perfect packing layout, so that products do not get damaged in transit. At the same time, you want the package to look nice. That’s the challenge: a safe + beautiful Gusti box.

What is one thing you wished everyone knew about Italian food?
One thing I learned after joining the Gustiamo team is how important olive oil is in the Italian culture. Olive oil makes you healthier and everyone should cook with real extra virgin olive oil, it gives the food a much richer flavor.

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About Gustiamo

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