It’s been twenty years since Tony Caputo opened the doors here at our flagship location in downtown Salt Lake City, in a neighborhood with a rich history of Greek and Italian culture. Over the years, we’ve experienced the many ups and downs of small business ownership, but we’re proud to hear from our customers how much we mean to Salt Lake’s thriving food scene. We’ve done so by remaining committed to our deep, abiding love for great food, and sharing that love with the enthusiastic community we’re a part of. As we looked back at the last twenty years and contemplated the road ahead, we decided it was time to breathe new life into the Caputo’s brand with a fresh new look.

Inspired by the art of Utah artist Dan Christofferson, whose distinct style is rooted in symbolism and bold graphics, we began a further conversation about the Caputo’s brand and asked Dan to create a new look that seamlessly integrates our history and motivations with our vision for what lies ahead. Central to this new look is the three-pointed crown. The crown is a powerful icon that represents our core philosophy, with its three points embodying the past, present, and future of Caputo’s. These three pillars serve as symbols of our heritage, our expertise, and our trailblazing spirit.

Over the years our purpose has become increasingly clear. We know we have a responsibility to preserve and protect food items of unique provenance. In the face of an increasingly homogenized, mass-produced, and genetically engineered agricultural system, we continue to fight for time-tested culinary traditions, for artisan spirit, and for authentic flavor. It’s our true passion, a passion that was first instilled in me by my yiayia (Greek for grandmother), who kept an urban garden WAY before it was cool to grow your own food. From that small backyard plot, vibrant and ethereal smells wafted through her small home in the summer, enveloping my senses and giving me the first glimpse into the true essence of flavor.

Those early sensory experiences inspire a question we ask ourselves all the time: what is it that gives Old World flavors their particular allure? We call it terroir. It’s that special sense of place found in the aromas, the textures, and the tastes that says unabashedly: “this comes from somewhere.” Not from a factory, not from a lab, but from the land. Today, it’s our mission to champion those products with deep ties to the unique places they come from, whether it’s Utah farmstead goat cheese or Venezuelan single origin chocolate, because those special products tell the stories of where they come from with every mouth-watering bite.

We know that food is much more than mere sustenance; culinary traditions help make up the fabric of our various cultures and upbringings, and food has always been an essential part of the Caputo family. After coming to the United States from Greece and Italy, the Caputos owned and operated a small market on Salt Lake’s west side, which happened to be home to Utah’s very first refrigerated deli case. One could say that my dad’s visits to that little market as a kid, where he would get treats from his aunts who kept shop, served as the original spark of what would eventually become our beloved market & deli.

Now, the torch has been passed to me, and I feel it is important to carry on the tradition and constantly re-imagine what it means to be a purveyor of fine foods in the modern age. Caputo’s has always been a family affair, from my dad, uncles, cousins and now my amazing wife Yelena, to the incredible crew that has been with us for so many years, who we consider part of the family. This is why the wonderful food community here in Salt Lake, and our loyal supporters beyond, trust our expertise: because it’s been passed down from generation to generation. As we look to the future with a brash independent spirit, our new look, and renewed enthusiasm for great food, we can’t help but feel only one thing: our most delicious days are surely yet to come.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the true meaning of bean to bar or craft chocolate.

Q: How would you define bean-to-bar chocolate and what sort of flavors can we expect from craft chocolate? Do you recommend any coffee and chocolate pairings?

A: This is an important and somewhat nebulous terminology that is often abused. My definition is fairly straight forward. To be bean to bar the chocolate bar must be produced from raw cacao beans all the way through each production step at a factory owned by the brand in question.

Q: How is it different from the mass produced chocolate we all grew up eating?

A: Bean to bar should not necessarily be equated to good. There are more bean to bar chocolate makers producing terrible product than there are making great chocolate. Sure most of the elite brands are bean to bar, but not all. Bean to bar should simply indicate you are talking to the artist in the flesh. Doesn’t mean you will like their art. Unfortunately, there are so many brands that lie or at the very least stretch the truth about their bean to bar status. So many.

What I think you are trying to get at with what makes bean to bar chocolate better than big chocolate we all grew up with is this: it should be about highlighting cacao beans of excellent provenance. Big producers do not. They use very poor beans and then use techniques (“dark” roast aka burned) and ingredients (too much extra cocoa butter and loads of vanilla) to create a flavor, rather than coaxing the flavor intrinsic to the beans out.

Just like wine is about honoring very special grapes grown in very special areas, so is chocolate with cacao beans. Most large chocolate producers make what I like to refer to as “vanilla flavored candy.” Despite meeting certain technicalities of being called dark chocolate, I think it should be illegal to call it the same as what most bean to bar chocolate makers are doing.

Q: Do you recommend any coffee and chocolate pairings?

A: Absolutely. My primary recommendation is do not pair a coffee made with specialty beans and roasted responsibly with “vanilla flavored candy.” Likewise, do not pair chocolate made with excellent cacao with coffee exhibiting symptoms of having been roasted on the surface of the sun. Beyond this, I do have some experience, but need to conduct more research! I will say since the two are such a natural fit the results of using my rule of thumb regarding matching the quality of the two have always been really enjoyable.

PSST! Want to know more? Join us at an Intro to Fine Chocolate class!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is an ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses the mislabelling of EVOO found in many grocery stores.

Q: I heard that most Extra Virgin Olive Oils found in grocery stores are mislabeled. How so?

A: Last week, 60 Minutes had a big exposé on how 70 to 80% of the olive oils found in U.S. grocery stores are mislabeled, meaning they are not real Extra Virgin grade.

Although it was “breaking news,” this is not new news. Tom Mueller first broke this story in a 2007 New Yorker article titled “Slippery Business.” But even before then, we knew something was not right in the industry. We were seeing incredibly vibrant-green colors in olive oils that tasted flat, stale, and worse.

After years and years of blind taste tests, I can identify between dozens of oils and name the brand and region of production (I’ve even been able to impress my wife, Yelena, with this skill). I’ve learned to put a lot of faith in my nose and palate.

Over the years, any oil whose flavor, aromas, and textures did not add up to the claims on the label were discontinued at Caputo’s. We always eagerly analyze samples for quality before putting products on our shelves.

We do not stop at blind taste tests, however. We wanted to make certain, so in cases where the price seemed too good to be true, we sent the oils in for professional taste tests to Agbiolab where they conduct many gustatory, chemical, and other scientific tests on olives and olive oil. At no small expense, we have had them run a full spectrum of tests—a tasting panel, UV light test, chemical analysis, etc.—on oils we were curious about.

When a study came out by the UC Davis Olive Center that tested 40 popular brands of olive oil showing how the vast majority of them failed the tests to be called Extra Virgin, we were proud—but not surprised—that Caputo’s did not carry a single one of them.

The moral of the story: Even the less expensive Extra Virgin Olive Oils on Caputo’s shelves are the real deal, and those that are more expensive have been selected for a reason and will be worth every penny. The only thing to decide upon is whether you would like a grassy Sicilian, a thistly Tuscan, or a more complex Umbrian oil.

We keep samples open, so patrons can taste each to ensure they are going to enjoy their purchase. So come on in!

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is a new, ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses bitters as a cure for a distressed stomach.

Q: I over-ate this Thanksgiving. And with holiday parties and Christmas coming up, I’m wondering if I should look into aromatic bitters to ease my pain. Will they make a difference?

A: Well, I actually have quite a bit of experience with eating too much. If there is one thing I love it is food, and during the holidays, I can’t stand the thought of not having each and every one of my old favorites. On top of that, how could I pass up a new gastronomic experience. Shun a new dish just because I am full? Pah! No chance.

As the years go by, it is slowly but surely getting more difficult to put up with the physical aftermath, though. Over the past year, I have had more opportunities than I am proud to admit to test the curative powers of aromatic cocktail bitters.

As one would learn in our Intro to Bitters class, the history of these elixirs includes wild claims from the producers, purportedly curing everything from flatulence to impotence and absolutely everything in between. Luckily, the FDA cracked down on the “snake oil” side of bitters a long time ago.

However, from my experience, there is certainly truth to bitters ability to aid in digestion. Anytime I have overeaten or I am not feeling tip top in the tummy, I have a nice big glass of sparkling water with a healthy dose of Peychaud’s. Within a few minutes, I feel notably better. It almost never fails. Put 10 to 12 dashes in a small white wine glass, and that ought to do. Yeah, I take it in a wine glass. Why not? It smells incredible.

Obviously, I am no doctor, scientist, or herbalist, so I will leave it to them to tell you exactly which ingredient in these bitters is doing exactly what. But this practice should not seem that strange. Monks, apothecaries, and even grandmas from all around the world have long known the digestive value of things with bitter flavors.

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is a new, ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he discusses how the shape of pastas will affect taste and texture

Q: Do various pasta shapes taste differently, or is it just about texture?

A: Different shapes of pasta, even though they might be made by the same brand with the same ingredients, will actually taste differently. Differences in texture will affect how we experience both the taste of the sauce and the pasta. 

Take two examples from the extremes: Capellini (tiny hair-like threads) and Calamaretti (thick squid-like ringlets). Both are made from two ingredients: durum semolina and water. The Capellini threads are cut into shorter and shorter threads by the tooth, but are rarely actually smashed and ground by the tooth before swallowing. The Calamaretti, however, are thick and will have a richer texture as the tooth smashes through and releases creamy textured starches, which are also rich in grain flavor. 

The heavier Calamaretti will lend a creamy, almost porridge-like flavor to the pasta dish. The ringlets are also great at catching large chunks of coarsely hand-ground tomatoes or other large particles, such as vegetable slices, cubes of pancetta, and so on. If you’ve never had it, Maestri Pastai’s Calamaretti will show you that dried pasta can be far better than most fresh pasta. 

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

“Ask Matt Caputo” is a new, ongoing feature where Matt answers commonly asked questions from the market. This week, he clarifies a few misconceptions about nitrates.

Q: I’ve heard that I should avoid nitrates in food, but I noticed that some of Caputo’s meats don’t claim to be nitrate-free. Why not? Are nitrates really that bad for me?

A: Many of our meats are nitrate free, but that doesn’t mean they are any better for you. Even all the “uncured” salami out there uses nitrates—even if it’s not on the label. Nitrates can come from natural sources, such as celery powder, rosemary extract, etc. These natural sources of nitrates convert in your gut to nitrites just like sodium nitrate from pink curing salt. However, they can be listed as “natural flavorings,” even though they contribute nitrate, not flavor. 

Unlike pink salt, these “natural flavorings” and the exact amount of nitrates are not regulated by the USDA or FDA, unfortunately. So in unlabeled salami, the actual dosage of nitrates you are getting is often much, much higher than if you just ate the stuff with sodium nitrate listed on the label. The key is balance. Eat some fresh veggies with a few bites of salami and cheese, and you’ll be fine. Everything in moderation! 

Disclaimer: While Matt Caputo is a Certified Cheese Professional and specialty food fanatic, he is not a medical professional, doctor, or certified nutritionist. Please consult with your doctor or other qualified health care professional before making any healthcare decisions, diagnostics or treatment decisions based on Matt’s answers.

It has been a long time since I have personally written a blog post. I wish I had more time, but with our recent growth I have been too buried to justify time to write. However, few things send jolt me to attention like two new chocolate bars from Chocolate Naïve — made in a little town on the Eastern side of Lithuania.

Here’s how it happened.

I was sitting down with another unrelated chocolate maker tasting through a bunch of new bars while being filmed for a chocolate documentary. Throughout the tasting we were enjoying or not enjoying things as much or as little as might be expected. However, shortly after we popped our first bite of Naïve’s Chuao and Porcini bars, I gasped in ecstasy then involuntarily made guttural exclamations of awe and disbelief.

At the exact same time the other chocolate maker expressed his first compliments of the day. I knew instantly something incredibly great was sitting before me. Although Chuao is more commonly accompanied by a balancing amount of vanilla, Naïve’s rendition has none. I appreciated this rare opportunity to delve into the aromas intrinsic to raw Chuao beans that always remind me of horse blanket. Other aromas like, fine cigars, campfire, perfumed woods, toasted marshmallow, black currants and molasses are harder to pinpoint if you’re not really trying, but certainly make for one profound flavor journey either way.

Sure the Chuao bar has a far from silky texture, but one should not look a gift Chuao in the mouth. Instead, a jaded connoisseur should appreciate this visceral glimpse into the soul of this prized jewel of the rain forest.

The Porcini bar is even more of a surprise given I did not expect to like it. Porcini is not the most hip ingredient and it seems that inclusion bars (bars with non-cacao ingredients) these days have to have super trendy flavors added to them to get attention. Also, inclusion bars with mushrooms normally highlight the mushroom and the chocolate is an afterthought. Not the case here. The origin is completely clear and the Porcini add depth and nuance to an extent that truly is still freaking me out.

I have a lot more to say about the ethos surrounding Chocolate Naïve, but that will have to wait for another time. Until then, make sure you get them quickly “Limited Edition” means limited edition with Naïve and both of these bars will be gone soon.