Mangia, Mangia! Enjoy the comforts of Italian cooking in this week’s Iconic Market Box!
Italian food lovers rejoice! This week’s Iconic Market theme is dedicated to all things vino-inspired, ensuring you and your family will enjoy the delight and heartiness of an Italian Feast at home. Complete with a hearty pasta, fantastic side dishes and vouchers for wine tastings at recently re-opened Market businesses, we are sure you will love this curation!
Frank’s Quality Produce
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, there is no better place than Frank’s Quality Produce, located at the Corner Market Building of Pike Place Market. Three generations of the Genzale family have had a presence in the Pike Place Market, starting with Frank “Cheech” Genzale in 1928, and now Frank Jr., the current owner and operator of Franks’s Quality Produce. Locals choose this stall not just for the quality of produce, but because of the people that make this stall so special. It is not uncommon to find team members recommending recipes or describing flavors of veggies unfamiliar to those passing by. It is that kind of service that keeps locals loyal to their small business, and why we love working with this amazing family-owned operation.
Each week, Iconic Market Boxes include a box of produce, curated by Frank Jr. and his team. The produce changes based on availability and seasonality, ensuring that our customers get the best produce available – oftentimes much fresher and better than what can be found at the grocery store!
Please note that “Classic” sized Iconic Market Boxes include a smaller assortment compared to “The Works” sized Iconic Market Boxes. Follow Frank’s Quality Produce on Instagram @franksqualityproduce.
Von’s 1000 Spirits
A favorite stop among guests on our Gourmet Seattle Tour, the name Von’s 1000 Spirits is not just named in jest: Over 1,300 spirits are available at one of the biggest bars in downtown Seattle. Von’s has been around in the Seattle dining scene for over 100 years, originally established in 1094 on Pine Street near where the Roosevelt hotel stands today (if you look down on the sidewalk near the exterior wall of the hotel, you might see an old tile mosaic still preserved with the name “Von’s” displayed). Locals in the know love this place for their seemingly never-ending happy hour and their $5 scratch Manhattans and Martinis which are available all day, every day.
When Von’s 1000 Spirits moved to its current location on 1st Avenue near the Harbor Steps, the bar was able to grow, expanding the business to include a full-service restaurant. Executive Chef Jason Amador leads his team as a full scratch kitchen. This means that they take full control of the flavors that they produce, buying local and doing a lot of the work themselves rather than purchasing product that leads to shortcuts in the kitchen. Examples of this include sourcing local salmon from the waters of the Pacific Northwest, chopping their own beef to Prime grade for their Hamburgs, and baking their own Seattle sourdough for pastas, brioche buns and pizza crusts.
As one of downtown Seattle’s expert pasta makers, we just had to include Von’s signature sourdough pasta for this box. The sourdough starter that Chef Jason uses has been passed down in his family for 3 generations and has to be attended to carefully to ensure its survival for continued use. The result of their hard work and intentional care is a soft, yet chewy pasta that carries the flavors of sauces from plate to palate. When compared to store-bought pasta varieties, there is no competition. We promise you won’t find anything quite like this pasta anywhere else. Follow Von’s 1000 Spirits on Instagram @vons1000spirits.
DeLaurenti Food and Wine
There is no missing DeLaurenti Food and Wine on the corner of 1st Avenue and Pike St – from the double door entrance to the smell of fresh coffee being poured and fresh-baked pizza wafting in the air, it is a Pike Place Market icon. For 75 years, DeLaurenti has served up the best specialty foods – think feta and kasseri cheese cut to order, Italian olive oils, imported Italian wine – that you can find in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by Peter “Pete” DeLaurenti, Pete delivered bread in Pike Place Market in the early 1920s, where he met his wife Marmie-Marie whose mother owned a grocery in the lower levels of the Market. After marrying and taking over the grocery store just after the end of World War II, “Pete’s Italian Grocery” began and would be the start of what we know as DeLaurenti today. The store did not move to its current location until the 1970s, after Pete’s son Louie took over the business. Three generations of DeLaurentis managed the store until 2001, when three customers and former Starbucks employees made an offer to Louie to purchase the business, an offer so good he could not refuse.
Today, DeLaurenti is a favorite to both locals and visitors alike. It is common to find fish mongers on their break getting coffee from DeLaurenti’s espresso stand, or Market buskers walking out the shop, chomping on a slice of pepperoni pizza from the pizza counter. The warm and inviting embrace of the shop makes a perfect first impression for those who first enter Pike Place Market.
Since DeLaurenti is an expert in everything tasty and Italian, we thought we’d go to them for some inspiration. They have brought together two gourmet items to complete our curation – Casina Rossa Sugo al Vino Rossa pasta sauce and Casera bread from Seattle favorite Macrina Bakery. Use the sauce to pour over the sourdough pasta and sausage, and slice and toast the bread for some delicious toasted points! Follow DeLaurenti food and wine on Instagram @delaurntifoodandwine.
Glondo’s Sausage & Northwest Tastings
Everyone loves a good mom and pop business, and you’ll find many in Pike Place Market. One that you’ll really love if you are a sausage fan is Glondo’s Sausage Co. Founded by Charlie and Randine Glondo in 1986, the couple started making sausage in the basement of their home in Cle Elum, Washington using recipes brought from Italy and Croatia by their immigrant grandparents. Today, the business is still run by the couple along with the help of their five children, serving Italian hospitality through their hand-trimmed meats, and robust line of quality Italian products.
Glondo’s sausage can be found in Pike Place Market at Northwest Tastings, a tasting room that they opened in partnership with White Heron Wines. Located on the 5th floor of Pike Place Market, the tiny tasting room offers peek-a-boo views of Elliot Bay and the Seattle Great Wheel as well as delightful sips and bites to enjoy your visit. Northwest Tastings has offered Iconic Market Box customers a voucher for a free wine tasting when they visit the tasting room. This voucher doesn’t expire, so feel free to use at your convenience.
Glondo’s Sausage came up with a perfect sausage to include in this week’s Iconic Market Box – their Northern Italian sausage. This sausage is made with pork, red wine and garlic and is perfect to include with your pasta sauce. Follow Glondo’s Sausage on Instagram @glondossausagecompany. Follow Northwest Tastings on Instagram @northwesttastings.
Michou Gourmet Deli
A favorite among the crafts vendors, artists and pretty much everyone who works in Pike Place Market, Michou World Class Deli makes another appearance in this week’s iconic Market Box. Michou’s bounty of panini-style sandwiches, soups, dips, desserts, and salads are beloved for their use of great quality ingredients, and lines are common in the morning and during the lunch rush.
This week Michou Deli has provided shaved brussel sprouts with butternut squash in two different sizes: 24 ounces for “The Works” size boxes and 12 ounces for “Classic” size boxes. Follow Michou Deli on Instagram @michoudeli.
Chukar Cherries
If you ever enjoyed the morning version of Savor Seattle’s Signature Tour of Pike Place Market, you would remember your stop at Chukar Cherries. This day stall has been in business for over 30 years and is well known for their inviting staff, offering tastings to anyone who asks. The business was founded by Pam Montgomery, a Seattleite with no farming experience, but with a deep love for the outdoors. Seeing her small family grow, she they should move out of the city and found a property in Prosser, Washington that just happened to have a few cherry trees on it. Those “few” cherry trees turned out to be over a thousand Bing cherry trees, and many were left unattended after picking season ended. Pam soon realized the leftover cherries did not spoil on the tree, but rather the Eastern Washington sun and the natural sugar in the cherries lead to natural preservation. After eating one, she realized that the dried cherries were delicious and promptly started to cook with them, creating delightful treats. However, the biggest hit was covering those dried cherries in chocolate, and the rest is history!
In this week’s Iconic Market Box, Chukar Cherries have included their Cherries for Wine – a combination of three dark chocolate-covered dried cherry varietals, curated together to be enjoyed with a glass of wine. If there is one company that knows their chocolate and wine pairings, it is Chukar Cherries. Why? Because Proser, WA – where the company was founded – is lauded as one of Washington States’ premier wine and fresh cherry growing regions. Follow Chukar Cherries on Instagram @chukarcherries.
Pappardelle
Ever been asked to sample a piece of chocolate pasta in Pike Place Market? If so, it was probably by the kind folks at Pappardelle’s Pasta. Located in the Main Arcade, Papardelle’s is known for their wild and creative assortment of flavored dry pastas, olive oils and sauces. Originally started in Denver, Colorado by Bill Curtis and David Bowen in 1984, the business was bought by a couple name Paula and Jim in 2002 and soon expanded into Pike Place Market in 2006. Since then, the pasta stall has been a major part of the market experience. Their famous pasta was served in the White House in the early 1990s and was even tasted by the Pope!
Besides fresh and dried pasta, the company also produces gourmet olive oils and vinegars. Their OMG! Chardonnay and garlic olive oil is absolutely fantastic. Try it as a dip with bread, add it to your favorite marinade or glaze, or drizzle on fresh cheese or salad. Follow Pappardelle and OMG! Gourmet on Instagram @pikeplacepasta and @omggourmet.
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is easily one of the most well known brands born from Pike Place Market. Known for their long lines for mac and cheese and large viewing windows enabling passersby to view daily cheese-making, it is a no-brainer that we have been working with this business from the first day of Savor Seattle’s food tour operations, over thirteen years ago. Started by Kurt Beecher Dammeier, the Pike Place Market location opened in 2003 and has since expanded to the Flat Iron District in New York City and even to Monroe, Wisconsin. Eating food without harmful additives or preservatives is critical to Kurt and is even part of the company’s credo: “Beecher’s Handmade Cheese makes foods only with ingredients we trust, are proud of, and would eat ourselves. It’s just authentic and original food, full of flavor.”
This week, we have included Beecher’s Market Herb Cheese curds (excluded in “classic” size boxes – sorry!). Also known as “squeaky cheese,” these salty cheesy bites are marinated with a blend of olive oil, rosemary, garlic and thyme for an herbaceous flavor profile. Perfect as a snack and pairs well with a glass of red wine, we recommend dipping it in the Chardonnay and garlic olive oil for an extra luxurious entanglement with your tastebuds. Follow Beecher’s Handmade Cheese on Instagram @beecherscheese.
Middle Fork Roasters
In 2009, a close-knit group of friends and coffee-lovers decided to put their passions first and began roasting coffee in the heart and soul of Seattle’s coffee scene. Since then, they have been regularly active in their community, giving back whenever they can and working with other businesses to help make their own coffee dreams come true. In fact, Middle Fork Roasters are responsible for providing the beans to many businesses around Seattle, including those in Pike Place Market.
We are psyched that Middle Fork created the Savor Seattle Blend – a combination of Brazilian and Sumatran beans, delivering a bold yet buttery body with rich chocolate undertones. This laid-back blend provides an incredibly clean finish that is perfect for easing into your morning routine. Every “The Works” size Iconic Market Box includes a 1 lb. bag of whole bean coffee and is omitted from “Classic” size boxes. Follow Middle Fork Roasters on Instagram @middleforkroasters.
Truffle Queen
The tastiest little shop in Pike Place Market, Truffle Queen was started by Rei Hanscomb in 2003 as “La Buona Tavola” (The Good Table, in Italian) and recently rebranded as Truffle Queen to better convey their line of products and allow for the reveal of Rei’s own private label truffle products. Having a classically trained chef for a mother and a sister-in-law who married into an Italian truffle hunting family, it was only natural that Rei’s passion is to share delicious things whenever she discovers them. The shop has been a space where visitors can discover and learn all about truffles and how easy it is to use them in ways to make everyday a little more gourmet.
Truffle Queen has recently begun to allow wine tasting again in their shop and would love our Iconic Market Customers to come in and enjoy what they have to offer. Each Iconic Market Box comes with two $5.00 wine tasting cards. Wine tastings at Truffle Queen are not standardized and are actually curated to your own personal tastes. Their knowledgeable staff recommends PNW and Italian wines available in their collection to try based on your feedback, and often comes paired with small bites from their awesome selection of truffle-infused and other Italian snacks and goodies. Follow Truffle Queen on Instagram @trufflequeen.
Pattern and Posy
When you walk through the bustling arcade of Pike Place Market – full of local artists, craftspeople and farmers – you no doubt may have walked by Carrie Narducci, artist and surface pattern designer of Pattern and Posy. She stared her Etsy shop in 2007, three years after graduating from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. Her love for printmaking and textiles grew as she experimented and soon found that being an artist was her calling. Creating products that are eco-friendly and USA made are very important to Carrie, and she tries to source USA made materials that are also eco-friendly whenever possible.
Add a little style and pizzazz to your dinning room table with four “WA with Love” cork block printed coasters from Pattern and Posy. These make excellent accents to your dining room or coffee table, and you are directly supporting an amazing Pike Place Market artist, who has since had to stop selling at Pike Place Market in person due to COVID-19. Follow Pattern and Posy on Instagram @patternandposy.
